A raid on an Elm Street house in Belhaven led to the arrest of four men and the seizure of nearly $40,000 of cocaine by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Thursday night.

“We’d been receiving information about one of the main targets, “Joker” James McCabe, for about a year. We knew that he’s been traveling to Hyde County, down to Atlanta, to Pitt County. We pretty much figured out his pattern,” said Capt. Russell Davenport, head of the sheriff’s office narcotics unit.

Davenport said the unit went into Belhaven covertly just after sundown, and spent two hours surveilling the house and surrounding area. While they were waiting for the right time to execute the search warrant, investigators watched McCabe hide drugs in the woods surrounding the house at 992 Elm Street, and later recovered the drugs, along with those found in the residence, he said.

“We ended up with a good amount of cocaine and marijuana,” he said.

The drug unit seized 253 grams of a mix of powder and crack cocaine, as well as 91 grams of high-grade marijuana. The street value of the cocaine seized was $37,950; of the marijuana, about $1,800, according to Davenport.

James Earl McCabe Jr., 42, of 516 Bridgewood Way, Belhaven, was arrested and charged with trafficking in cocaine, possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, maintaining a dwelling to facilitate the sale and possession of marijuana. McCabe’s bail was set at $200,300. David Anderson Topping Jr., 43, of West Third Street, Belhaven, was charged with the same offenses as McCabe and was also held at the Beaufort County jail under a $200,300 bond. Michael Shawnzell Sutton, 37, of Old County Road, Belhaven, was charged with possession with intent to sell marijuana, maintaining dwelling to facilitate the sale and possession of drug paraphernalia and was held under a $50,000 bond. Vincent Paul Slade Jr., 39, of Pungo Creek Road, Pinetown, was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia and was held under a $2,000 bond.

Davenport said McCabe owns several houses, but through surveillance, investigators determined he was using the Elm Street residence to distribute cocaine.