Laurel County Sheriff John Root informs WBON-TV that the ordeal first described as a hostage situation Monday, has led to an enormous drug seizure, and the arrest of five people.
Undercover officers have been working the case and scheduled a drug buy this week that ended up at the 49’er Truck Stop off of I-75 in East Bernstadt early Monday. That initial confrontation to apprehend the subjects led to the hostage situation involving three suspects. They say one of the suspects held the other two at gunpoint when authorities surrounded the vehicle.
Arrested Monday, were Justin Cooper, Travis Jefferson and Christopher Brown all from Lexington. The department seized over a pound of meth and several hundred fentanyl pills.
Today, two additional arrests have been made in connection at a home on Cambridge Drive in Lexington. Adrianna Lemus Fuentes of Lexington, and Jose Alberto Valles Espinoza.
At the Lexington residence, the seizure of drugs was estimated to have a street value of 2.5 million dollars. All will face federal drug trafficking and distribution charges.
Laurel County Sheriff John Root says the case is the largest drug bust in the department’s history.
Assisting the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office during this investigation were the DEA London and Lexington Resident Offices, FBI London and Lexington Resident Agencies, London Police Department, Somerset Police Department, Lexington Police Department Emergency Response Unit and the Lexington Police Department Narcotics Enforcement Unit.
Sheriff Root also added “ The outstanding inter-agency cooperation was vital in the successful conclusion of these seizures and arrests.” Sheriff Root further added that the “War on Drugs” will continue.
