Federal officers and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police arrested 10 people Wednesday, May 27, 2026, and moved to seize a troubled hotel near the Sugar Creek Road and Interstate 85 interchange.
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson said the Garden Inn functioned as an open-air market for illegal activity.
“The hotel itself serves as almost like a farmers market for guns and drugs,” Ferguson said. “There are multiple rooms on multiple levels where people are buying guns and drugs.”
Ferguson said the hotel’s head of security is among those facing charges. He added that the hotel’s security team is behind much of the criminal activity.