The owner of a used car dealership on East Webb Avenue was taken into federal custody Tuesday and charged with several counts of money laundering.

Kevin Bryant Brogden, 40, who owns Brogden Cars on 1784 East Webb Ave., was charged with six counts of money laundering, two counts of structuring financial transactions to evade reporting and conspiracy to launder money, said Lynne Klauer, assistant U.S. attorney in the Middle District of North Carolina.

A second suspect, whom authorities did not identify, was also arrested by federal agents, an Ala-mance County Sheriff’s Department press release said.

“The indictments allege that fictitious liens were placed upon various vehicles subsequently sold to reputed narcotics dealers in efforts to protect and secure the vehicles from law enforcement seizure,” the release said.

Randy Jones, spokesman for the Alamance County Sheriff’s De-partment, explained that cars had been paid off and that the liens were false.

“It’s designed for protecting and securing assets from seizure,” he said, adding that when a narcotics-carrying vehicle is discovered, authorities will not seize the car if it has a lien on it. “It goes back to the lien owner or loaner.”

The investigation “eventually in-volved the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, the Burlington Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles,” the release said, adding that authorities have been investigating Brogden for more than a year.

Brogden was arrested “without incident” Tuesday morning at Moran Drive in Burlington. Federal agents in unmarked cars were at the business Tuesday morning.

Authorities issued search warrants at both Brogden’s Mattie Florence Drive home and Brogden Cars on East Webb Avenue, the release said.

Klauer said Brogden was arrested by U.S. Marshals, but she was unable to say if he was placed under bond.

His first court appearance will be at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in Winston-Salem. Jones said additional arrests are expected.