CONFERENCE — Speaking at a press conference are Alleghany Sheriff Mike Caudill, Sheriff Connie Watson of Surry and Sheriff Jim Hartley of Ashe County.

Laurel Springs man charged with cocaine trafficking

A Laurel Springs man was arrested last Thursday and charged with cocaine trafficking, according to the Alleghany County Sheriff's Department. According to warrants, John Paul Caudill, a 28-year-old who lists an address on Elk Knob Road, is charged with four felony counts. Among those is trafficking in cocaine, possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver marijuana, maintaining a vehicle to keep or sell a controlled substance and manufacturing cocaine.

Specifically, Caudill is charged with 'manufacturing' cocaine and marijuana because he allegedly had the drugs, scales and baggies to package the product in his vehicle.

The cocaine trafficking charge is a class D felony, punishable by a mandatory minimum of 175 months, up to a maximum sentence of 219 months. It also carries a minimum fine of $250,000.

Besides the charges Caudill is facing here, he is also facing similar charges in Ashe and Surry counties.

Sheriff Mike Caudill of the Alleghany Sheriff's Department said the bust and seizure, which netted 426 grams of cocaine and about one pound of marijuana (453 grams) in this county alone, is the culmination of an ongoing effort. "We had been working on this case for several months," he said. Involved in the investigation locally were Caudill, Capt. Carlton Edwards and Det. Ricky Lyall.

Two other counties, Surry and Ashe, were also involved. The State Bureau of Investigation also assisted.

The sheriff said the drug bust was the largest cocaine bust ever made in Alleghany County. "I can't ever recall a time when more cocaine has been seized at one time," he said.

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