A senior noncommissioned officer assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was arrested May 12 for allegedly trafficking more than two kilograms of cocaine after authorities executed a search warrant at a home he owned.

Law enforcement found the cocaine, two handguns, one assault rifle and nearly $100,000 in the home at 2647 Green Heron Street in Fayetteville.

There, authorities arrested 40-year-old Master Sgt. Martin Acevedo III and his son, Javed Josue Acevedo-Ramos, 20, for trafficking a schedule II controlled substance. The raid was coordinated with the Department of Homeland Security.

“This case still belongs to the State of North Carolina. It is very probable that it will go federal and Homeland Security will adopt the case,” Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Patrice Bogertey told Army Times.

Acevedo was on terminal leave at the time of his arrest, according to an Army official familiar with the soldier, who spoke on background to discuss personnel matters.

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Acevedo’s military ties were not initially disclosed in press releases when the arrest was made. An individual familiar with Acevedo’s situation provided a tip about the incident this week.

“We can confirm that Master Sergeant Martin Acevedo III is a soldier assigned to 18th Field Artillery Brigade,” said Col. Joe Buccino, spokesman for the 18th Airborne Corps. “His command is aware of the situation.”

Two kilos of cocaine allegedly recovered by police when they executed a narcotics search warrant at a home on Green Heron Street, in Fayetteville, N.C. (Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office)

Both Acevedo and his son were charged with trafficking controlled substances and booked into the Cumberland County Detention Center.

The two men were being held on a $500,000 secure bond at the detention center. They were later released after posting bond May 17, jail officials said by telephone.

The drug bust comes as local authorities and Army CID agents are also still working to solve a number of criminal cases involving Fort Bragg troops, including a double homicide in a training area that happened in December.

A Special Forces soldier and an Army veteran were shot by an unknown assailant during the winter incident. In February, the FBI announced that it is assisting in the case.

One of the victims in the December shooting, Master Sgt. William Lavigne III, had previously faced drug-related charges that were later dismissed.

Davis Winkie is a senior reporter covering the Army. He focuses on investigations, personnel concerns and military justice. Davis, also a Guard veteran, was a finalist in the 2023 Livingston Awards for his work with The Texas Tribune investigating the National Guard's border missions. He studied history at Vanderbilt and UNC-Chapel Hill.

Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.

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