6 Kilos of Fentanyl and $100,000 in Cash Inside a Gastonia, North Carolina, Home: Police Say the Money Was Headed Back to a Mexican Cartel After a Tip From Louisiana
Police in Gastonia, North Carolina, west of Charlotte, say they found six kilograms of fentanyl and more than $100,000 in cash in a home on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. They say the money was drug revenue headed back to a Mexican cartel. Sergio Martinez-Avalos and Karina Mondragon-Gamino were arrested and charged with trafficking and money laundering, WBTV, WSOC-TV and WCCB Charlotte reported on Sept. 30. Police valued the fentanyl at about $750,000.
A tip from Louisiana
According to WBTV, law enforcement in Louisiana told Gastonia detectives that Martinez-Avalos was a suspected drug trafficker, and Gastonia police then got a search warrant for the home. WSOC-TV and WCCB both report that Louisiana partners described him as a “large-scale drug trafficker.” WBTV and WSOC-TV say he had an active arrest warrant out of Louisiana. WCCB instead lists an outstanding warrant from Los Angeles. WSOC-TV lists the Gaston County and Cleveland County sheriff’s offices, Mount Holly police and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation as partner agencies.
The charges
Each suspect faces two counts of level-three trafficking, one count of money laundering and one count of maintaining a dwelling for a controlled substance. Both are also on federal immigration detainer holds, the outlets reported. WBTV said both were being held without bond and were due in court on Sept. 30. The reports do not give the same ages: WBTV gives 49 for Martinez-Avalos and 37 for Mondragon-Gamino, WSOC-TV gives 50 and 37, and WCCB gives 50 and 36.
Which cartel?
Police did not name one. WCCB quotes investigators as saying detectives “disrupted the flow of illegal drug money that was on its way back to a Mexican cartel.” WBTV notes that officials did not identify a specific organization. Evidence photos released by police show the bricks in dark and light wrapping, some stamped with an LV-style logo. No source says what the logo means, and The Narco Blog does not guess at it.
The Gastonia arrests come after earlier cartel-linked fentanyl cases around Charlotte, including a nearly 60-kilo meth and fentanyl seizure in Charlotte. For the statewide picture, see Are There Cartels in North Carolina?
Sources
- WBTV (Alianna Kendall-Brooks), “2 arrested after police seize $750K worth of fentanyl from Gastonia home, authorities say,” Sept. 30, 2026.
- WSOC-TV, “$750K in fentanyl seized in Gastonia, drug cartel money flow disrupted,” Sept. 30, 2026.
- WCCB Charlotte (DJ Beal), “Two arrested after drugs and money found to be connected to the Mexican cartel,” Sept. 30, 2026.
- Photos: Gastonia Police Department, via WCCB Charlotte.
Reported Sept. 30, 2026, from the local news reports listed above. The Narco Blog did not independently verify these accounts. Martinez-Avalos and Mondragon-Gamino have only been charged and are presumed innocent. Police have not publicly named a specific cartel, and no attorney statements were reported at the time of writing.