Alfredo Leon Alejo, Cesar Lopez Hernandez and Juan Ramon Rivera-Escobar are all in the Mecklenburg County Jail under federal custody.

Alfredo Leon Alejo, Cesar Lopez Hernandez and Juan Ramon Rivera-Escobar are all in the Mecklenburg County Jail under federal custody.

A complaint filed in Federal Court says Rivera-Escobar was stopped by state troopers in Kansas last week. Investigators say they found five-pounds of the drug in the vehicle he was driving.

Rivera-Escobar told agents he got the stash from Los Angeles and was instructed to make the drop in Charlotte. Agents advised him to continue with the plans, while they monitored each step.

In Charlotte, agents say they watched Rivera-Escobar meet up with two men, and get paid several thousand dollars.

All three were arrested on scene at an apartment complex on Sloping Oaks Road. Investigators revealed the apartment had just been rented that day by Alejo and Hernandez.

Drug Enforcement Agents have been making a concerted effort to track black tar heroin on its path from Mexico to Charlotte, where the drug is gaining popularity.