The Carteret County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of two individuals involved in a cocaine trafficking operation on Thursday, December 19. The arrests followed a months-long investigation involving the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office and Swansboro Police Department.
Authorities discovered that Martin Alexander Staines, 56, an inmate at the Carteret County Jail, was orchestrating drug transactions via phone calls from his cell. Officials also identified his accomplice, 46-year-old Crystal Gail Smallwood, who was responsible for transporting and distributing the cocaine under Staines’ instructions.
Both Staines and Smallwood were served arrest warrants and are currently held in jail without bond, facing multiple charges related to the operation. They are each charged with four counts of conspiracy to traffic cocaine.
