Murphy – Two Tennessee men were arrested following a massive drug bust at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel.
In the early the morning hours Thursday, Cherokee Indian Police officers working at the casino responded to a domestic violence call. After speaking with both parties – a man and a woman – it was determined that an assault had occurred, and 27-year-old Brandon Thomas Jones of Ten Mile, Tenn., was arrested on the charges of assault on a female and possession of methamphetamine and paraphernalia.
When the woman’s ride arrived, EBCI Police officer Christopher Harris noticed that the U-Haul truck had a North Carolina EBCI license plate. After Harris asked the driver about the license plate and got his consent to search the vehicle, more than 900 pounds of processed marijuana with a street value of about $3 million was discovered in thew back of the truck – much of it packed in U-Haul boxes.
Two firearms and several syringes were also confiscated. Murphy police officers and Cherokee County sheriff’s deputies were also involved in searching the vehicle.
Following the search, the driver of the truck, 28-year-old Daniel Jerry Wiggins of Ten Mile, was charged with trafficking a controlled substance and displaying a fictitious tag. Further charges are pending.
“Our Snowbird/Murphy Division has been applying intense pressure to local lawbreakers on a daily basis,” EBCI Police Chief Josh Taylor said.
“They work understaffed every day, yet come up big for us, producing great police work. CIPD’s narcotics response time and teamwork is greatly appreciated, as well as assistance from the Murphy Police Department and Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.”