Special agents arrested 18 people — including several employees — Saturday night in a sweep of two Fayetteville adult nightclubs, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety said Sunday night.

Local and state officials had spent seven months investigating and moved in Saturday night.

The authorities raided Sparky’s Sports Bar and Pub on Bragg Boulevard and Sharky’s Cabaret on Bragg Boulevard.

Some of those arrested Saturday night were employees at the adult clubs.

Authorities said Sunday they had arrested 16 people at the two establishments and were looking for eight more on drug trafficking charges.

Two other people, Demetrius Burkes and Corey Lynes-McGregor, both 20, were arrested for carrying a concealed weapon and possession of marijuana.

“We actually have known for years now that there has been drug selling and prostitution going on in these nightclubs and so they conducted the investigation and had people undercover for several months now,” said Pamela Walker, spokeswoman for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

“And they have been buying drugs such as cocaine and other narcotics from employees working at these nightclubs.”

Officials said the move was a warning to all nightclubs where drugs are being sold that the officials are watching and they are taking tips seriously.

Officials said they raided the two clubs Saturday because people had tipped them off and complained about them.

That’s when the officials decided to focus on the undercover investigation.

The two clubs are having their alcohol license revoked for now.

Arrested Saturday night on drug charges were:

  • Employee – Samantha L. Bass, 25, Dunn
  • Employee – Brittany Kruse, 19, Fayetteville
  • Employee – Holly A. Webster, 31, Parkton
  • Employee – Marlena McKnight, 36, Fayetteville
  • Employee – Natasha Stanford, 40, Fayetteville
  • Customer – James Thompson, 44, Lumberton
  • Employee –  Amanda D. Watts, 28, Fayetteville
  • Employee — Lakisha Pauline Allen, 31, Fayetteville
  • Employee – Alison Baculik, 24, Fayetteville
  • Employee — Geneva Lee, 30, Fayetteville
  • Employee — Chrisanna Lamb, 33, Fayetteville

Note: The Cumberland County Detention Center did not have mug shots for all arrests.

Also arrested was:

Customer — Richard A. Stanley, 35, Fayetteville, for carrying a concealed weapon

Customer — Alexander S. Olivier, 23, St. Pauls, and (Employee) Naiobi Q. Ivoery, 21, for unauthorized possession of spirituous liquor

Customer — Missy Y. Wheeler, 21, Fayetteville, for possession of drug paraphernalia

Employee — Lashaundra D. Lawson, 31, Fayetteville, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia