Skip to content
Triangle Local

Wake County

Wake County: Two men charged after deputies say they seized 14 kilograms of cocaine

Deputies say they stopped Jacob Ramos, 23, on I-40 near Aviation Parkway on Oct. 7 and found cocaine and a gun in the car, then more cocaine at his home. He and Juan Valderrama-Beltran, 29, are held on $1 million bond.

UpdatedThis story has changed since it was first published.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

The downtown Raleigh skyline on a sunny day

File photo: Abhiram Juvvadi (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • Wake County deputies stopped Jacob Ramos, 23, on I-40 near Aviation Parkway on Oct. 7, 2026.Confirmed by Wake County Sheriff's Office, as reported by WRAL
  • Ramos was charged with two counts of trafficking cocaine, carrying a concealed weapon, and traffic violations that WRAL, citing deputies, listed as driving without a license and a window-tint violation.Confirmed by Wake County Sheriff's Office, as reported by WRAL
  • Juan Valderrama-Beltran, 29, was charged with two counts of trafficking cocaine.Confirmed by Wake County Sheriff's Office, as reported by WRAL
  • Both men are being held at the Wake County Detention Center on a $1 million bond.Confirmed by Wake County Sheriff's Office, as reported by WRAL
  • The Wake County Sheriff's Office was assisted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, Cary police and the Guilford County Sheriff's Office.Confirmed by Wake County Sheriff's Office, as reported by WRAL

Alleged or reported

  • A K9 helped deputies find three kilograms of cocaine and an illegal handgun in the car Ramos was driving.Wake County deputies say, as reported by WRAL. Charges are accusations, not convictions
  • Deputies later found about 11 more kilograms of cocaine at Ramos's home, about 14 kilograms in all.Wake County deputies say, as reported by WRAL. Charges are accusations, not convictions
  • Ramos trafficked cocaine, carried a concealed weapon and committed the traffic violations listed in the charges.charges reported by WRAL, citing the Wake County Sheriff's Office. Charges are accusations, not convictions
  • Valderrama-Beltran trafficked cocaine.charges reported by WRAL, citing the Wake County Sheriff's Office. Charges are accusations, not convictions

Still unknown

  • Where the drugs were headed
  • How the two men are connected
  • When either man is next in court

What this means for you

Public safety
This story is not an official or emergency notice. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Instructions from Wake County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations page

Tips can go to the Wake County Sheriff's Office at 919-856-6800, the number listed on the office's Criminal Investigations page.

What happened

Wake County deputies have charged two men with trafficking cocaine after a traffic stop on Interstate 40, the Wake County Sheriff's Office said, as reported by WRAL.

Jacob Ramos, 23, was stopped on I-40 near Aviation Parkway on Oct. 7, 2026, WRAL reported, citing deputies. Juan Valderrama-Beltran, 29, was also charged. Both are being held at the Wake County Detention Center on a $1 million bond.

Charges are accusations, not convictions. Being charged does not mean a person is guilty. Ramos and Valderrama-Beltran are presumed innocent unless they are proven guilty in court. We have not found a public statement from either man or from a lawyer for them.

What deputies say they found

Deputies say a K9 helped them find three kilograms of cocaine and an illegal handgun in the car Ramos was driving, WRAL reported, citing the sheriff's office. They say they later searched Ramos's home and found about 11 more kilograms of cocaine — about 14 kilograms in all.

Those amounts and the gun are the sheriff's office account, published by WRAL. We have not seen the charging papers or an official sheriff's office post of our own.

Officials have not said where they believe the drugs were headed, or how the two men are connected.

The charges

WRAL, citing the sheriff's office, lists these charges:

  • Ramos: two counts of trafficking cocaine, carrying a concealed weapon, driving without a license and a window-tint violation
  • Valderrama-Beltran: two counts of trafficking cocaine

Those are accusations in charging papers. They have not been proven in court.

Who else was involved

The sheriff's office was assisted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, Cary police and the Guilford County Sheriff's Office, WRAL reported.

We looked for a Wake County Sheriff's Office news release or social post we could read. We did not find one. This account rests on the sheriff's office details published by WRAL.

What happens next

Officials have not released court dates. We will update this story if the sheriff's office, the courts or another official source says more about the charges, the connection between the two men, or where the drugs were headed.

Anyone with information can call the Wake County Sheriff's Office at 919-856-6800, the number listed on the office's Criminal Investigations page.

This story is not an official or emergency notice. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Why it matters

An Interstate 40 stop in Wake County led, deputies say, to one of the larger cocaine seizures reported locally this fall, and two men are now held on $1 million bond. Readers need a clear account of what the sheriff's office charged, what it has not said, and that the men are presumed innocent.

Our video on this story

Playing loads TikTok's player, which follows TikTok's own privacy policy. Watch on TikTok

Updates

  1. Oct 7, 2026, 12:00 AM

    Deputies stop Jacob Ramos, 23, on I-40 near Aviation Parkway. WRAL later reports the sheriff's office account of a cocaine seizure, charges against Ramos and Juan Valderrama-Beltran, and a $1 million bond.

Sources

  1. Wake County Sheriff's Office, as reported by WRAL: deputies stopped Jacob Ramos, 23, on I-40 near Aviation Parkway on Oct. 7, 2026; deputies say a K9 helped find three kilograms of cocaine and an illegal handgun in the car and about 11 more kilograms at Ramos's home (14 kilograms total); Ramos charged with two counts trafficking cocaine, carrying a concealed weapon, driving without a license and a window-tint violation; Juan Valderrama-Beltran, 29, charged with two counts trafficking cocaine; both held at the Wake County Detention Center on a $1 million bond; assisted by the DEA, N.C. SBI, Cary police and the Guilford County Sheriff's Office

    Official sourcePublished by Wake County Sheriff's Office, via WRAL · Checked Oct 13, 2026, 4:45 PM

  2. Wake County deputies seize 14 kilograms of cocaine after traffic stop

    Published by WRAL · Checked Oct 13, 2026, 4:45 PM

  3. Wake County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations page (lists 919-856-6800)

    Official sourcePublished by Wake County Sheriff's Office · Checked Oct 13, 2026, 4:45 PM

  4. N.C. General Statute 90-95, violations and penalties for controlled substances, including trafficking (background on the law)

    Official sourcePublished by North Carolina General Assembly · Checked Oct 13, 2026, 4:45 PM

  5. N.C. General Statute 14-269, carrying concealed weapons (background on the law)

    Official sourcePublished by North Carolina General Assembly · Checked Oct 13, 2026, 4:45 PM

Related stories