NEWTON––The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office has made a major drug bust.

According to public information officer Maj. Aaron Turk of the CCSO, on Aug. 12 at about 12:18 a.m., deputies of the Catawba County Sheriff's Office Patrol Division conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle travelling along Conover Boulevard West.

Turk added that during that time, a sheriff’s office canine alerted deputies to the presence of narcotics inside the vehicle. Deputies ultimately located and seized 171 grams of methamphetamine, along with drug paraphernalia from the vehicle.

Ryan Lewis Craig, the vehicle’s driver, was arrested and charged with trafficking in methamphetamine; maintaining a vehicle for the purposes of manufacturing, selling or delivering an illegal controlled substance; and possession of drug paraphernalia. Craig is also currently on federal probation for methamphetamine distribution. Craig, 41, received a $100,000 secured bond and had a same-day first appearance in Catawba County District Court. 

Caroline Elizabeth Patel, the vehicle’s passenger, was arrested and charged with trafficking in methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Patel, 35, received a $75,000 secured bond and also had a same-day first appearance in Catawba County District Court.