Marietta Man Tied to NC Meth Ring

A Marietta man is in a North Carolina jail in connection with the seizure of nearly half a million dollars' worth of crystal meth.

Miguel Angel Hernandez, 31, of the 1000 block of Amelia Drive was one of three men arrested in Brunswick County, NC, last month in the biggest crystal meth bust ever in that county, the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday.

Brunswick County sits along the South Carolina border southwest of Wilmington.

Hernandez is charged with conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine and is being held in the county jail on a $500,000 bond, the Wilmington Star News reported.

Also arrested were two Brunswick County men, Ruben Aguirre-Damian, 39, and Juan Aguirre-Mojica, 26, who both live in Ash. They face the same charge as Hernandez, but their bond was set at $1 million each, the Myrtle Beach Sun News said.

Working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Brunswick Sheriff’s Office seized more than 4½ pounds of crystal meth in searches conducted Jan. 16 to 18, the Star News said.

The Sheriff’s Office estimated the value of the drugs at more than $400,000.

Authorities also seized a couple of guns, a 1999 Chevrolet Blazer and a 2004 Honda Pilot.

The raids and arrests followed a two-month investigation into a drug ring that reportedly was an offshoot of a Georgia organization dealing in cocaine and meth.

The meth seized last month was manufactured outside North Carolina, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The investigation continues. Anyone with information can call the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office at 910-253-2777 or the Wilmington DEA office at 910-815-4513.