Two routine traffic stops in Pineville turned into a major narcotics bust this month, after a police K-9 alerted on both vehicles and investigators ultimately recovered 4 kilograms of cocaine and 10 firearms, including a search of a nearby apartment complex. Three men were taken into custody in connection with the investigation.
According to the Pineville Police Department, the department worked alongside Homeland Security Investigations and Homeland Security Task Force officers on a narcotics trafficking investigation that culminated in the stops. Officers pulled over two vehicles connected to the case, and Task Force Officer Kimel deployed K-9 partner Max to conduct open-air sniffs of both cars. Max alerted on both vehicles, giving investigators probable cause to search them.
That search turned up approximately 2 kilograms of cocaine and a Glock 17L handgun, per the department's account. The investigation then led agents and officers to an apartment complex, where they found an additional 2 kilograms of cocaine and nine more firearms — bringing the total haul to 4 kilograms of cocaine and 10 guns combined.
Three Men Taken Into Custody
Antonio Santos-Gonzales, 41, and Ovando Gutierrez-Pacheco, 33, were both arrested on October 17, according to department booking records cited by the Pineville Police Department. A third man, Efrain Torres-Mejia, was also taken into custody in connection with the investigation, though his arrest details were not included in the department's release. The Pineville Police Department described the operation as a partnership between the local agency and federal law enforcement aimed at disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking networks to keep the community safe.
The scale of the seizure places the case well above North Carolina's trafficking thresholds. Under state law, possessing, transporting, or manufacturing 400 grams or more of cocaine is classified as a Class D felony carrying a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 175 months — nearly 14.5 years — up to 222 months, along with a mandatory fine of at least $250,000, according to North Carolina General Statutes § 90-95(h)(3)(c). The 4 kilograms recovered in this case is ten times that statutory threshold.
Judges Have Little Room for Leniency
North Carolina law also limits what judges and prosecutors can do once trafficking amounts are established. Under § 90-95(h)(5), sentencing judges are barred from suspending mandatory minimum prison terms or granting probation for cocaine trafficking unless a court explicitly finds that a defendant provided what the law calls “substantial assistance” to law enforcement in identifying or prosecuting co-conspirators, per the NC Superior Court Judges' Benchbook. The same statute, under § 90-95(i), applies identical mandatory minimums to conspiracy charges as to the completed trafficking offense, meaning prosecutors do not need to prove that each defendant personally handled the drugs if a conspiracy can be established.
It remains an open question whether the case will stay in state court or be referred for federal prosecution, given Homeland Security Investigations' involvement. Federal drug trafficking convictions in the Western District of North Carolina carried a median prison sentence of 97 months and an average of 108 months between fiscal years 2018 and 2025, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Primary drug trafficking offenses made up roughly a third of all federal cases sentenced in that district in fiscal year 2024.
A Small Department With Outsized Reach
Pineville's police force is a relatively small municipal agency for the scope of this operation. The department serves a town of about 11,000 permanent residents, but that population swells past 60,000 during the day because of commercial hubs like Carolina Place Mall, industrial parks, and transit corridors bordering South Carolina, according to the Town of Pineville. The department has grown from 13 sworn officers in the 1990s to 48 by 2026, adding specialized units including a K-9 Unit, Special Resource Team, and Crime Reduction Unit to handle regional demands.
Interim Police Chief Corey Copley, a 25-year department veteran, took over leadership in July 2026 following the retirement of former Chief Michael Hudgins, per WFAE. This isn't the first time Pineville has found itself at the center of a major interdiction effort: back in June, a joint investigation tied to a Pineville shipping center and a Charlotte airport hotel resulted in the seizure of 12 kilograms of cocaine bricks, a case Hoodline covered in its airport hotel bust report.
Statewide, narcotics enforcement remains a significant driver of felony arrests. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation recorded 1,193 arrests for the sale or manufacturing of opium or cocaine and 7,005 arrests for opium or cocaine possession in 2024. Charges against Santos-Gonzales, Gutierrez-Pacheco, and Torres-Mejia remain pending, and it is not yet clear whether the case will be prosecuted at the state or federal level.
