Over 26 pounds of cocaine was seized and its alleged distributor arrested in a multi-agency drug bust Thursday.

Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Drug Unit investigators arrested Daniel Perez, 26, of Arrowhead Drive in Greenville, charging him with multiple counts of cocaine trafficking in both Pitt and Beaufort counties. Along with local investigators, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, Greenville Drug Task Force and the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office participated in the bust that netted a street value of $1.2 million in cocaine.

“It’s something we’ve been working on for a while. It took all these agencies working together to complete this mission,” said Lt. Russell Davenport, head of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Drug Unit. “Pretty much every agency involved spent some long hours working this operation.”

Davenport said the law enforcement agencies came to the same realization separately that Perez was allegedly supplying cocaine to multiple counties, which led them to work together.

“We figured if they could cross county lines, then we would do the same. Once we got on the same playing field, it all worked out really well,” Davenport said. “Now you’ve got organized law enforcement working against organized drug cartels.”

It was after Perez was arrested by drug unit investigators, during a traffic stop in Beaufort County at approximately 5 p.m. Thursday, that law enforcement got a warrant to search Perez’s residence in Greenville where they found the cocaine, Davenport said.

Davenport said it’s the largest amount of cocaine seized during one of the drug unit’s arrests in likely 10 years.

Perez was confined at the Beaufort County Detention Center under no bond. Bond will be set by a judge, as Perez is considered a flight risk, Davenport said.