MOUNT HOLLY/ STATESVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A Statesville man accused of trafficking fentanyl in Gaston County is now behind bars, according to Gaston County Police.
On Wednesday, March 5, Marciano Pina Ulloa, 44, of Statesville, was arrested as part of a drug trafficking investigation.
Detectives say Ulloa was arrested in a Mount Holly parking lot where 4 ounces of fentanyl and $1,800 in cash were allegedly seized from him. Investigators then went to Ulloa’s home in Statesville, where they reportedly seized 4.8 pounds of fentanyl and another $1,800 in cash.
Officials say Ulloa was trafficking fentanyl in several different places in Gaston County. He is charged with the following:
- Three counts of Trafficking Fentanyl (Gaston County)
- Maintaining a Vehicle for Trafficking Fentanyl (Gaston County)
- Trafficking Fentanyl (Iredell County)
- Maintaining a Dwelling for Trafficking Fentanyl (Iredell County)
The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office says the street value of the fentanyl is about $254,000. Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can kill. As a result, the fentanyl seized from Ulloa could have killed over a million people, ICSO reports.
Ulloa is being held at the Gaston County Jail on a $100,000 bond. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been notified because Ulloa is in the country illegally.
“This is an incredibly dangerous drug that is killing people at an alarming rate across our nation, said Sheriff Darren Capbell. “The amount of fentanyl seized in this case is enough to kill over a million people. We see it in our community, and we have to continue being aggressive in targeting those poisoning our citizens.”
