Drug sting leads to dozens of arrests, meth, cocaine and heroin seizures in Johnston County

A major operation in Johnston County that’s been 10 months in the making has taken dozens of alleged drug dealers off the street.

Selma Police said “Operation Tainted Candy” resulted in 25 arrests Tuesday, and that officers confiscated large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and more.

The sting is one of the largest in the history of Selma, a town of about 6,500 people in Johnston County about 30 miles southeast of Raleigh.

“I just think that it’s really important that our streets are safe and our neighborhoods are safe,” said Vanessa Lopez, a Selma resident and mother of five.

Vanessa’s children range in age from 9 to 20, and she said that means a fair share of worrying about their safety and what potentially looms on the street.

“They’re all within the space of ages that I would be thinking about, you know, their friendships and the people that they’re spending time with,” she said. “And they also want to ride bikes around the neighborhood and just things like that.”

As part of the sting, which used undercover drug buys across Selma during 10 months, police rounded up drugs and alleged drug dealers at various locations, including the Quality Inn, and homes on Wood Street and Cypress Court.

“It makes you feel like you’re doing something great for your community, great for the town, and you’re getting bad stuff off the streets,” said Sgt. Justin Vause.

Mayor Byron McAllister said he’s proud of the work being done to clean up Selma’s streets.

“That is a blessing to this community, particularly a community being right off of (Interstate) 95 that sees the effects of drugs on a daily basis up front, close and personal,” said McAllister.

McAllister said that as a father of four, he’s reassured knowing the work that’s underway to combat drug crime.

“You can go to sleep much easier knowing that there’s someone always watching your back in the town of Selma,” he said.

Selma Police identified 27 targets as part of Operation Tainted Candy and is still searching for two suspects in the sting. Charges range from simple possession to possession with intent to distribute, to drug trafficking, and more.