Major Drug Bust In Catawba County

ᴄᴀᴛᴀᴡʙᴀ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛʏ, ɴᴄ- On Wednesday, May 28, 2025, investigators with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division and Special Enforcement Group stopped a vehicle on South NC 16 Highway. The vehicle was stopped due to a motor vehicle regulatory violation. Based on information obtained during the stop, investigators searched the vehicle and located approximately 12.4 grams of fentanyl and 87.9 grams of methamphetamine.

The driver, Russell Jerald Poole, of Catawba was arrested and charged with two (2) counts of Trafficking Schedule II Controlled Substance by Possession/Transportation, Trafficking Methamphetamine by Possession/Transportation, two (2) counts of Conspiring to Traffic a Controlled Substance, and Maintaining a Vehicle for a Controlled Substance. Poole is currently held in the Catawba County Detention Facility under a $900,000 secured bond.

The passenger, Phillip James Preston, of Sherrills Ford, was arrested and charged with two (2) counts of Trafficking Schedule II Controlled Substance by Possession/Transportation, Trafficking Methamphetamine by Possession/Transportation, one (1) count of Conspiring to Traffic a Controlled Substance, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Preston is currently held in the Catawba County Detention Facility under a $500,000 secured bond.

The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office thanks the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), Hickory Police Department, Maiden Police Department, Newton Police Department, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations for their assistance with the investigation.