Durham police arrested eight people, including a 17-year-old, after raiding a home in the 2500 block of South Roxboro Street on Wednesday and seizing nine firearms, cocaine, marijuana and cash. Five of the recovered guns had been reported stolen, and investigators say the operation was launched in response to recent shootings and a homicide in August.
According to FOX8 WGHP, Durham police obtained the search warrant after investigations into multiple homicides, aggravated assaults and weapons violations tied to that stretch of South Roxboro Street. J. Roberts of the Durham Police Department said the probable cause for the warrant grew directly out of that pattern of violence in the area. The department said in a news release that the enforcement operation was meant to address recent shootings and a homicide, removing what Roberts described as dangerous firearms and narcotics from the neighborhood.
The address is not new to Durham’s crime blotter. Hoodline previously reported that a man was found dead with gunshot wounds in a nearby housing complex in the 2500 block of South Roxboro Street back in February, part of what was already a documented hotspot for gun violence along the corridor.
Nine Guns, Cocaine and a Teen Among Those Charged
Police say they seized nine firearms total, including an AK-47-style Draco pistol manufactured in Romania and an AR-15 rifle chambered in .300 AAC Blackout, per the report. At least two of the recovered pistols were fitted with optic devices resembling illuminated red-dot sights, and officers also recovered a large amount of ammunition along with various firearm accessories…