CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Ten people face federal drug charges for their involvement in a drug operation in Union County.
According to the indictment, the suspects allegedly operated as a drug conspiracy responsible for trafficking at least 136 kilograms of cocaine and 53 kilograms of crack cocaine in and around Union County from May 2003 to November 2015.
During a round-up on Thursday morning, officers also recovered six handguns.
The 10 defendants named in the 67-count indictment are each charged with conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and related drug offenses. They are:
- Ernest Cuevas Bivens, 34, of Waxhaw, N.C.
- Robert Doneil Clyburn, Jr., 26, of Monroe, N.C.
- Jeffrey Darrell Crowder, Jr., 29, of Wingate, N.C.
- Ruthus Azam Ivey, 31, of Monroe.
- Dario Kinta Richardson, 30, of Mineral Springs, N.C.
- Quantravis Lavar Richardson, 28, of Monroe.
- Reginald Donovan Richardson, 31, address unknown.
- Adrian Lamar Sanders, 33, of Monroe.
- Maurice Dupree Starnes, 36, of Monroe.
- Eric Scott Truesdale, 45, address unknown.
“These federal charges should send a clear message to drug traffickers in North Carolina. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate the damage that drugs do in our communities because some drug dealer wants to make a quick buck,” said FBI’s Special Agent in Charge John Strong
