Sherrie Marie BrooksFive people were arrested Friday in a drug bust at a Murphy, North Carolina, hotel after two people were allegedly dealing drugs out of a hotel room.
Benjamin Highsmith, 29, of Rome, Georgia, was allegedly selling meth, heroin and other drugs from a rented room at an unidentified hotel in Murphy. Sherrie Marie Brooks, 26, of Rome, Georgia was also charged with trafficking and possession with intent to sell.
Detectives with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office received a tip about the illegal activity on Nov. 7 and began surveillance. Throughout the evening, detectives conducted several traffic stops on people who had visited the room, according to a release from the sheriff's office. During the stops, detectives seized grey powder heroin, black tar heroin, methamphetamine and assorted prescription pills considered controlled substances under North Carolina law, according to the release.
They received a search warrant for the room and found 140 grams (5 ounces) of black tar heroin, a semi-automatic handgun, prescription pills and $845 in cash.
Cherokee Tribal Police and Murphy Police Department assisted in the investigation and execution of search warrant.
Heather Ramsey, 40 of Murphy, North Carolina; Jessi Crist, 38 of Murphy, North Carolina; and Louis Tarantino Jr, 38, of Murphy, North Carolina were also arrested on possession charges.