GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Two people facing felony drug trafficking charges now face the risk of deportation after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation discovered more than 800 grams of suspected drugs during a raid in Gwinnett County.
The GBI arrested 35-year-old Hector Armando Moreno Luzardo and 41-year-old Gelis Escalona Martinez at a house on Omaha Drive near Norcross last Wednesday.
Court documents show officers found more than 400 grams of suspected cocaine and more than 400 grams of suspected methamphetamine in the master bedroom closet.
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Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson reported that both Venezuela natives are being held without bond at the Gwinnett County Jail and have Immigration and Customs Enforcement holds for potential deportation, according to jail records.
Neighbors told Channel 2 Action News off-camera they suspected illegal activity for the past year after the pair moved into the normally quiet residential area.
“I don’t like it. I don’t like it,” said neighbor Jill Balthaser, who says she has safety concerns after hearing of the arrests.
Her husband David Balthaser, a 23-year resident of the area, expressed relief about the arrests.
“I’m glad they’re gone,” David Balthaser said. “If they’re going to operate drugs and so forth, get them out.”
Channel 2 Action News has reached out to the GBI for additional comment on the investigation details and drug totals but has not yet received a response.
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