A Winston-Salem man was arrested here last week in what could lead to more arrests of gang members, drug dealers and shooting suspects.

Davie sherifff’s undercover officers were investigating a suspect, and when discussing the case with Iredell County officials, realized he may have been involved in illegal activities there.

Enrico Dewone Heggins, 34, of Winston-Salem, was staying at the Scottish Inn in Mocksville when Davie, Iredell, SBI and federal ATF officers raided his room. A search warrant led them to four ounces of heroin, seven weapons including four high-powered rifles, and $5,000 cash. The arrest was made without incident, said Davie Sheriff J.D. Hartman.

The sheriff said the arrest may be linked to four shootings in the Statesville area during the previous week. He also said the case is gang related.

Heggins was charged with trafficking heroin, and was taken into custody in lieu of a $500,000 bond.

“We got a great deal of intelligence and assistance from other agencies,” Hartman said. “We have partnerships in place and we work together constantly.”

The cooperation makes sense, he said, because the criminals often cross county lines. Investigators believe Heggins was in Mocksville with the guns and drugs so that if raids were made elsewhere, they wouldn’t be found.

“We work together well to keep our communities as safe as we can possibly keep them,” Hartman said.

Statesville Police Chief Joe Barone said the arrest of Heggins was “extremely significant” to the investigations of the four shootings in Statesville, one in which a man was killed and another in which a 9-year-old child was shot.

“Davie County did an awesome job in this case and their efforts have provided us with a tremendous amount of leads for our investigation,” Barone said. “We are taking each case, gathering the evidence, comparing it, sending off to labs what needs to be analyzed and linking the evidence to the different crimes. We believe that they are connected and will be solved.”