Two charged in Hardeeville drug investigation

Two men were arrested on charges of cocaine trafficking Wednesday after a joint investigation by several law enforcement agencies in the region, according to a news release from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Edwin Giovanni Cruz, 31, of Hardeeville was charged with two counts of distributing and selling cocaine, and Carlos Rojas, 41, of Garden City, Ga., faces a charge of trafficking cocaine, the release said.

Officers seized about 318 grams of cocaine, a 1998 black Lincoln Navigator, a 2004 blue Dodge truck, $1,623 in cash, computers and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia. The investigation continues, and additional arrests are expected, the release said.

These agencies were involved in the investigation and in assisting with the arrests: the Beaufort/Jasper Multi Agency Drug Task Force, the Savannah-Chatham Counter Narcotics Team, U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement, the Hardeeville Police Department and its canine unit, and the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators from both South Carolina and Georgia identified Cruz in the distribution of cocaine in the Jasper County area, the release said. Cruz was arrested after making a sale of cocaine in the Hardeeville area to Rojas, according to the release.