FBI dan Polisi Gerebek Hotel di Charlotte Terkait Kasus Narkoba

Ratusan agen FBI dan personel Kepolisian Charlotte-Mecklenburg menggerebek Hotel Charlotte Garden Inn Suites di Reagan Drive, North Carolina, pada Rabu pagi, 27 Mei 2026, setelah melakukan penyelidikan bersama selama enam bulan.

Operasi besar-besaran tersebut memicu dakwaan terhadap 11 orang, dengan 10 tersangka di antaranya berhasil ditangkap atas tuduhan perdagangan narkoba jenis fentanyl serta kepemilikan senjata api ilegal.

Kepala Polisi Estella Patterson menyatakan bahwa penggerebekan ini didasari oleh tingginya aktivitas kriminal di lokasi tersebut selama beberapa tahun terakhir.

"This hotel property has functioned as a stronghold for illicit activity, operating as a distribution hub for illegal firearms and narcotics," kata Estella Patterson, Kepala Polisi Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

Patterson menambahkan bahwa aparat kepolisian setempat telah merespons ratusan panggilan darurat dari hotel independen tersebut sepanjang tahun 2025.

"The data tells a stark, undeniable story: in 2025, CMPD officers responded to over 240 calls for service at this single location—a staggering, nearly 20% increase compared to the year prior. I am incredibly proud of the investigative work performed by CMPD detectives and officers, as well as our federal partners. When local, state, and federal agencies align their power, we do not just disrupt criminal enterprises—we dismantle them," kata Estella Patterson.

Pihak kejaksaan federal kini mengajukan tuntutan hukum untuk menyita properti hotel yang dinilai menjadi pusat perdagangan gelap tersebut.

"The hotel itself serves almost like a farmers market for drugs and guns," ujar Russ Ferguson, Jaksa Wilayah Barat North Carolina.

Ferguson mengungkapkan bahwa penyalahgunaan fungsi pengamanan hotel menjadi salah satu penyebab maraknya kejahatan di sana.

"There are multiple rooms on multiple levels where people are buying drugs and guns. And those innocent people living there were duped," kata Russ Ferguson.

Menurut keterangan kejaksaan, manajemen hotel mengklaim menyediakan pengamanan penuh, namun justru mempekerjakan tim keamanan yang terlibat dalam jaringan kriminal.

"The security team … are felons. They have extensive criminal records. Violent crimes, drug crimes, you name it," kata Russ Ferguson.

Para petugas keamanan yang direkrut tersebut dilaporkan ikut mengedarkan barang haram kepada para pengunjung hotel.

"They sell drugs. The security team is selling drugs there," kata Russ Ferguson.

Ferguson mengungkapkan bahwa kepala keamanan hotel bernama Marcus Logan mengenakan gelang pemantau elektronik saat bekerja.

"[Logan] was actually working as a uniformed security officer in the hotel while wearing an ankle monitor on release for a crime," kata Russ Ferguson.

Pihak kepolisian juga mengklaim bahwa pemilik hotel, Jessica Woodard, tidak kooperatif saat diminta menyerahkan rekaman kamera pengawas terkait peristiwa penembakan terdahulu.

"They created the crime there instead of stopping it, and that’s why we filed our action today to seize the hotel," kata Russ Ferguson.

Tindakan tegas ini diambil sebagai peringatan bagi para pemilik akomodasi lainnya agar tidak bekerja sama dengan pelaku kriminal.

"And I hope this is a message to other hotel owners out there. That if you’re working with the side of the criminals instead of the side of the police, we are going to use our federal asset forfeiter power to take your hotel," kata Russ Ferguson.

Kejaksaan menegaskan bahwa fokus penindakan hukum mencakup seluruh wilayah sekitar koridor Sugar Creek dan I-85.

"Today was about the Garden Inn, but this is not just about the Garden Inn. This is about more than one hotel," kata Russ Ferguson.

Kawasan tersebut kerap menjadi sasaran keluhan masyarakat karena tingginya transaksi narkotika terbuka.

"This about that whole corridor of Sugar Creek and I-85 that we get a whole lot of complaints about. It’s basically an open air drug market," kata Russ Ferguson.

Dalam operasi ini, lima orang menghadapi dakwaan federal termasuk Justin Day, Michael Boatwright, dan Naquan Smith, sementara enam orang lainnya diproses hukum tingkat negara bagian dengan total penyitaan 11 pucuk senjata api.