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Two men are in jail Thursday after Lincoln County deputies found two kilos of cocaine and a gun during an early-morning traffic stop near High Shoals.
Authorities said the drugs would have a street value of up to $300,000 if the kilos were broken down.
Clifton Eugene Mason, 30, of Claremont and Chad Bernard Beatty, 36, of Statesville, face multiple charges including two felony counts of trafficking cocaine, and a misdemeanor count of carrying a concealed weapon.
Both suspects were being held under a $1 million bond in the Lincoln County Detention Center.
The arrests came after the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were observing traffic on Hwy. 321 near exit 20 and spotted a suspicious vehicle. Deputies stopped the car and found a duffle bag on the floorboard. Inside, deputies found the cocaine.
Deputies also seized a pistol, cash and small amount of marijuana, the sheriff’s office said.
Police said one of the suspects tried to run from the scene but was caught a short distance later.
Lincoln Sheriff David Carpenter said the traffic stop “clearly displays the extensive training our officers have received on how to spot drug traffickers and how to do it safely. All of our training is continuing to pay off with these arrests and seizures.”
