Drug dealing investigation leads to arrest of 2 men: Scottsdale PD
Arrests made in major Scottsdale drug dealing bust
Two people are accused of drug dealing after a months-long investigation by Scottsdale Police, and investigators say they believe one of them is a major cocaine and club drug supplier in the Scottsdale area. FOX 10's Lindsey Ragas reports.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Police in Scottsdale say they have arrested two people in connection with a months-long investigation, and investigators say one of the two is a major cocaine and club drug supplier in Scottsdale.
Big picture view:
Court documents identify the suspects as 31-year-old Matsemela Zazu Moloi and 26-year-old Luke Asher McConnell.
Both McConnell and Moloi were arrested on Wednesday, August 13. Moloi, according to police paperwork, was arrested during a traffic stop, while McConnell was arrested at the Scottsdale apartment he and Moloi shared.
The two had their first court appearance on Aug. 14.
Dig deeper:
Investigators allege that Moloi sold an eight-ball of cocaine to an undercover officer on two occasions this summer. At the time Moloi was arrested, he had a few grams of cocaine and ketamine in his pockets. Inside his car were numerous bags of ketamine, and a new designer drug called "pink cocaine."
Inside the two's apartment, police say they found over $45,000, along with mushrooms, cocaine, ketamine, amphetamine pills, MDMA, and a pistol. Detectives also found a tackle box full of drugs inside McConnell's bedroom, including ketamine, meth, and cocaine. Some of the drugs were pre-packaged in bags.
Police also said that texts on McConnell's phone reveal that drug transactions were made. In all, $34,000 worth of drugs and guns were seized during the operation.
When questioned, McConnell told police he did not know where the tackle box came from. He only admitted to selling marijuana and DMT cartridges, and said he makes $2,500 to $4,500 a week working in bars. Moloi refused to talk to detectives.
What's next:
Per court documents, both McConnell and Moloi are accused of money laundering, as well as multiple counts of drug possession and weapons-related offenses. McConnell's court documents listed four alleged offenses, while Moloi's listed 14.
A judge has set a $100,000 cash-only bond for McConnell. Moloi's cash-only bond was set at $250,000. Should they be released, court documents state both will be subjected to a number of conditions, including electronic monitoring.
A preliminary hearing for both men are set for Aug. 22.