Crime & Public Safety
Crime & Public Safety

Cobb couple accused of hiding $400K of heroin in child’s bedroom

Authorities confirmed Juan DeJesus and Reyna Romero are members of a Mexican drug cartel, though a spokesperson wouldn't say which.
By Raisa Habersham
Aug 16, 2018

A Cobb County couple faces drug and reckless conduct charges after police say they kept nearly 8 kilos of heroin in their 2-year-old child’s bedroom.

The drugs are worth $400,000, according to Channel 2 Action News.

Police told the news station the couple, Reyna Velez-Romero and Juan DeJesus Torres, ran the heroin operation out of their Austell home as part of an alleged drug cartel.

“They were pre-packaged and sealed up,” Cobb County sheriff’s Investigator R. May said at a probable cause hearing Thursday. “There were gallon-sized bags ... there may have been five to eight.”

Authorities set up surveillance of the couple’s home on Veterans Memorial Highway after receiving a cellphone tip, Channel 2 reported. After a week of surveillance, authorities searched the home and found the heroin in the child’s bedroom.

The couple is on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold while their child is in state custody, according to Channel 2.

In other news:

But because the couple was still married and there was no formal custody arrangement at issue at that date, officers had no legal authority to take the child from his father.

About the Author

Raisa Habersham is the Intown Atlanta hyperlocal reporter for The Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

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