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Law enforcement officials from at least three federal agencies converged on a house in Charlotte’s Cotswold neighborhood Friday where they spent hours removing buckets and bagfuls of undisclosed materials.
Some involved wore gloves and protective clothing as they removed materials, including some type of chemicals, from the house at 5552 Robinhood Road.
“I know chemicals are involved. I don’t know what kinds of chemicals,” said Chuvalo Truesdell, a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA is the lead agency in the investigation, he said.
The agents arrived Friday morning and packed up by midafternoon. But as of Friday evening, they had released few details about the nature of the investigation.
The house has been owned since 1988 by Ebrahim Abdi Shiraz and Patti Shiraz, according to public records. Neither is listed as having a criminal record.
Ebrahim Shiraz, contacted by the Observer Friday, declined comment.
Observer news partner WCNC-TV reports that the homeowners' son, 24-year-old Raumeen Abdi Shiraz, was taken away in handcuffs. He faces federal charges of attempting to sell chemicals without proper documentation, according to WCNC-TV.
Raumeen Shiraz, a convicted felon, remained in Mecklenburg jail Saturday. An Internet search of his name reveals several websites referencing chemicals and the address on Robinhood Road.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting the DEA, an FBI spokeswoman said. The Charlotte Fire Department also assisted, and a federal air marshal also was seen outside the house.
Workers with Advanced Environmental Options Inc. of Spartanburg were on site to clean up and remove materials from the home. The company contracts with the DEA, said a company official who declined to be named.
The DEA’s Truesdell referred most questions to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte. A spokeswoman for that office declined comment.
Neighbor Leigh Anna Hall, 39, said she and others on the street are cordial with the family, which includes the couple and two sons.
“I hope everyone is OK. That was my first thought,” Hall said. “I want to know what happened as much as everyone else does.”
Reporter Gary Wright and staff researcher Maria David contributed.
