Man and woman charged with selling 3 pounds of cocaine at RDU

A woman from New Jersey and a man from New York City have been charged with selling almost 3 pounds of cocaine to a Durham man at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

Airport police arrested Luz Rakuel Ortega, 44, of Swedesboro, N.J., at Terminal 2 about 8:45 p.m. Friday, according to Wake County arrest records. They charged her with trafficking in cocaine by sale.

A short time earlier, Jason Christopher Anderson, 40, of the Bronx was arrested on Rental Car Drive at the airport. He also was charged with trafficking by sale.

Tarvarest Lindsey Hargrave, 43, of North Maple St. in Durham was the person to whom Ortega and Anderson were selling the cocaine, RDU police said.

They arrested Hargrave at Terminal 2 at the same time as Ortega and charged him with two counts of trafficking in cocaine and with using an Audi Q7 to keep and sell drugs.

The cocaine at the center of the charges weighed 1.331 kilograms, or just under 3 pounds, the charges said.

Police said the arrests were part of an ongoing drug investigation. RDU police have been working with federal, state and local authorities in an anti-drug task force.

Ortega was held on $1 million bail and Anderson on $750,000 bail.

Hargrave, who has two previous convictions for selling cocaine and one for possession with intent to sell, was held on $500,000 bail.

This story was originally published October 8, 2018 at 11:30 AM.