Man charged with trafficking cocaine, “weapon of mass destruction” in Catawba County: Sheriff

CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A man has been charged after being found with nearly 300 grams of cocaine of multiple firearms, according to the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office.

On Wednesday, Nov. 5, deputies conducted a traffic stop on a suspect in an ongoing cocaine trafficking investigation. The suspect was identified as 31-year-old Ta’Shawn Thomas Byrd.

During the stop, deputies searched the vehicle, where they found about 291 grams of cocaine, two Draco firearms and one pistol. A search warrant was also used at an apartment in Hickory, where investigators reportedly found 4.83 grams of cocaine, one Draco firearm and a pistol.

Byrd was booked into the Catawba County Detention Center under a ,000 bond. He was charged with:

• Trafficking in Cocaine by Possession
• Trafficking in Cocaine by Transport
• Maintaining a Dwelling for a Controlled Substance
• Carrying a Concealed Weapon
• Possess Weapon of Mass Destruction

Deputies say this is an ongoing investigation.