Clerical errors cited, indictment expected soon
Refugio Ledezma “Kuko” Moreno
Robbinsville – The District Attorney’s Office voluntarily dismissed drug charges against a Robbinsville man, in a case called one of the largest methamphetamine raids in Graham County history and the arrest of what Sheriff Jerry Crisp called one of the county’s biggest drug dealers.
Refugio Ledezma “Kuko” Moreno, 49, was already free after posting a $50,000 bond on charges of trafficking methamphetamine; possession with intend to manufacture, sell and deliver methamphetamine; and maintaining a vehicle/dwelling/place for controlled substances – all felonies.
He was arrested in the early morning hours of Oct. 15, following a traffic stop and subsequent raid on his house at 146 Rocky Top Road.
Clerical errors in the paperwork led to the voluntary dismissal, but Sheriff Jerry Crisp said he expects that Moreno will be indicted on the same charges in Graham County Superior Court in November, rather than go through a probable-cause hearing.
Highway Patrol officers contacted the Graham County Narcotics Division after finding suspected methamphetamine inside a car during at traffic stop.
Further investigation determined that the controlled substance came from a local suspected narcotics distributor, according to a news release.
“The information from the Highway Patrol traffic stop was applied to previous recorded information from a 9-month long investigation conducted by the Graham County Narcotics Division,” the Graham County Sheriff’s Office said in the news release.
A search warrant was obtained and agents from Western North Carolina Drug Task Force responded to assist the Graham County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division and Special Response Team – including SRT Team Paramedic Billy Hyde – when the warrant was served.
Authorities seized more than 900 grams of liquid and solid methamphetamine along with drug paraphernalia, a small-caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Derringer-type pistol, and $707 in cash. At about $80 per gram, the street value of the methamphetamine seized is about $72,000 – $90,000, according to online references.