United States Drug Enforcement Administration

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Today, Brandon Alan Purvis, 44, of Waynesville, N.C., was sentenced to 27 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for trafficking methamphetamine and illegal possession of a firearm, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Robert J. Murphy...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Benjamin James Hemphill, 24, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release today for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina...

SAVANNAH, GA: The leader of a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed kilos of cocaine and large amounts of other illegal drugs throughout the coastal Georgia area has been sentenced to more than 25 years in federal prison, concluding prosecution of Operation Deadlier Catch. Joseph Bulloch, a/k/a “Lil Joe,” 34, of...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced today that a federal jury has convicted Jonathan Craig Otuel, 36, of Stallings, N.C., of conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Otuel previously pleaded guilty...

RALEIGH, N.C. – Today, U.S. Attorney Michael Easley, along with federal and local law enforcement, provided information related to ongoing and coordinated efforts to target drug distribution in Sampson and Duplin Counties. Last week, a joint operation took place with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the...

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Keven Rodriguez, a former Raleigh Police Department officer, pled guilty today to three drug trafficking and firearms charges for distributing cocaine while working on duty in his position as a Field Operations Division Officer. He also pled guilty to possession of contraband while in prison after a...

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Nash County man was sentenced yesterday to 180 months in prison for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy with direct ties to Mexico. On December 7, 2022, Sean Jermaine Mills pled guilty to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, and...

STATESVILLE, N.C. – A federal jury in Statesville returned a guilty verdict today against Jermaine Douglas Grandy for trafficking fentanyl and illegal possession of firearms, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Grandy, 41, of Lenoir, N.C., was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and...

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A federal jury in Asheville has convicted Tarrell Leshaun Williams, 42, of Cherokee, N.C., of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field...