RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Search warrants obtained Wednesday reveal that a man who went missing in Benson in November was in town to “do a big drug deal” with friends.RELATED: ‘I will do everything to find him,’ says father of man reported missing from Benson

Cole Thomas has been missing for almost four weeks. Acquaintances who were traveling with the 22-year-old claim he stopped his vehicle at an intersection near downtown Benson on Nov. 25, ran from the vehicle and disappeared.

According to search warrants requested by the State Bureau of Investigation for the cell phones of Thomas’ associates, the man had been driving a vehicle with two other people inside in the vicinity of E. Morgan Street and N. Elm Street around 3 a.m. when he allegedly jumped out and ran.

Thomas’ father, Christopher Thomas, told authorities that, according to his son’s friend, Cole Thomas had traveled from Minnesota to North Carolina with the two friends who were later found inside the vehicle that was abandoned in Benson.RELATED: New images released of man who vanished in Benson after jumping from car

The friend told Christopher Thomas that he had been dropped off at an airport in Minnesota so that he could fly home to be with his son and that Cole Thomas then drove to North Carolina. The friend told Christopher Thomas that the three men were headed to North Carolina to “do a big drug deal.”

According to warrants, the man further explained to Christopher Thomas that once the three made it to their destination in North Carolina, “the person they intended to do the drug deal with made them take off their clothes” to prove they weren’t wearing a wire. That caused Cole Thomas to “flip out.” The warrant states that no further information was provided to explain what happened to Cole Thomas next.

On Dec. 1 and Dec. 2, investigators also interviewed the two men who were in the car with Cole Thomas, warrants show.RELATED: SBI joins Benson police in search for man who jumped from vehicle

One friend told investigators that he did in fact travel from Minnesota to North Carolina with Cole Thomas and the other friend to take part in a drug deal. The man said that the purpose of the trip was to purchase methamphetamine from an associate.

Warrants state that the friend told investigators that as they were driving back from where they bought the meth, Cole Thomas, who was driving, “began to get paranoid and began to drive erratically” before coming to a stop in Benson and running out of the car.

The other friend who took part in the drug deal corroborated the story of the drug deal and voluntarily gave investigators the number of the man he purchased the meth from. The man explained that shortly after the drug deal went down, Cole Thomas disappeared.

The warrants seek permission to search three phone numbers believed to be involved in the case – those of the two friends in the car with Cole Thomas and the man who sold them the drugs.

Cole Thomas’ father released a statement to CBS North Carolina in which he expressed his frustration with the information made public Wednesday.

“My wife and I have stayed here (in Benson) since learning our child disappearance by way of facebook. To add further pain to my our suffering we have waited and trusted those who promised they would help find out what happened and location of our son to no avail,” Christopher Thomas wrote. “In my opinion to put this information out based on these few individuals and right here before the holidays has brought all who love Cole a great deal of added pain.”

He admitted his son had made mistakes recently. Christopher Thomas wrote that within the last six months, his son left college with a 4.0 GPA and went with friends to work in Minnesota.

“As a family we were not happy with these changes but we truly believe our son became lost; it does not mean he was a bad person, nor account for all the great things he has accomplished in his life,” Christoper Thomas wrote.

Christopher Thomas said he and his wife will “not give up, go home or give in to the evil doings” that played part in Cole’s disappearance.