Guilford Task Force Seizes Nearly 500g Cocaine, Five Guns; Za'veon Oakes Arrested

A Whitsett home on Palomino Mustang Drive was the focus of a Guilford County Narcotics Task Force search that produced a large drug and weapons seizure, the sheriff’s office said. "The sheriff's office said the Guilford County Narcotics Task Force executed a search warrant Jan. 29 at a home on Palomino Mustang Drive, where investigators seized approximately 492 grams of cocaine and five firearms."

At the conclusion of that investigation deputies arrested Za’veon Malik Oakes, 23, and charged him with two counts of felony trafficking in cocaine, possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine, and two counts of felony flee to elude arrest, according to the sheriff’s office. Oakes was taken to the Guilford County Detention Center in Greensboro and has since been released on a $200,000 secured bond, the statement said.

The quantity reported by the sheriff’s office was approximately 492 grams of cocaine, a figure described elsewhere in coverage as "nearly 500 grams." Law-enforcement reporting and the local article republished by regional aggregators identify five firearms recovered during the Jan. 29 search; the sheriff’s office provided those specific numbers in its account to reporters.

Local media coverage included a WFMY News 2 report and a WFMY Facebook post that reiterated the search-warrant date and location. The captured WFMY Facebook post showed 11 reactions, four comments and seven shares at the time the post was archived. Public comments on that post included praise and skepticism, with one user, Joshua Gilbert, writing, "Guilford is putting in that work!!!! Let's go" and another, David Garland Jetton, posting, "But it was a peaceful drug deal….." The comments are user posts on WFMY’s social feed and not official statements.

Key investigative and evidentiary details were not included in the sheriff’s office summary provided to media. Reports do not identify the make, model or condition of the five firearms, whether any firearms-related charges will be filed, or whether the 492-gram figure reflects lab-confirmed net narcotics weight versus a field estimate. The articles also do not state whether other people were present at the Palomino Mustang Drive residence, whether additional locations were searched, or whether the seizure ties to a broader trafficking network.

For transparency and case clarity, records to request from the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office and the Detention Center include the official press release, the probable-cause affidavit or arrest affidavit, lab analysis results for the seized narcotics, inventory of the firearms seized, booking records for Za’veon Malik Oakes and any court docket numbers. Those documents would establish the timeline of the Jan. 29 operation, confirm the 492-gram figure, and indicate whether prosecutors will pursue additional charges beyond the counts already reported.

Court filings and any follow-up statements from the sheriff’s office or the Guilford County district attorney will determine how the trafficking and flee to elude counts proceed through the local criminal justice system. The sheriff’s office account and the Jan. 29 search-warrant date remain the primary public record for the seizure and arrest at this stage.