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...

RALEIGH, N.C. – A former Fuquay-Varina nurse was sentenced today to 48 months in prison and three years of supervised release for tampering with painkillers intended for surgery patients. On March 9, 2022, Melissa Elizabeth Chacona pled guilty to the charges. “Surgical patients trust healthcare providers to give them the...

NEW BERN, N.C. – A Fayetteville, North Carolina man who now has ten felony convictions was sentenced today to 240 months in prison for drug conspiracy charges involving heroin and fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute heroin, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. On...

OMAHA, NE –The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) concluded a year-long operation in which it identified direct connections between the Mexican-based Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels and communities across the nation, to include the five state DEA Omaha Division. Operation Last Mile targeted operatives, associates and distributors affiliated with the Sinaloa...

Cedar Rapids - Cedar Rapids, Iowa, resident Brian Dennis was sentenced to more than 33 years in federal prison for leading a years-long conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl. Dennis received the prison term after his June 27, 2022, guilty pleas to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin, two...

ASHEVILLE, NC – Megan Emily Tate, 29, of Sylva, N.C., was sentenced today to 20 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing a substance that contained fentanyl and caused two overdoses, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Robert...

SAVANNAH, GA: A Bryan County man could face decades in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl. Javarus McKinney, a/k/a “Jody,” 34, of Richmond Hill, Ga., was convicted after a four-day trial on charges of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Fentanyl; Possession with Intent to Distribute and...

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...

WAYCROSS, GA: The leader of a south Georgia fentanyl- and heroin-trafficking operation linked to drug overdose deaths has been sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison. Eric Lashawn Hayes, a/k/a “Pee Wee,” 39, of Blackshear, Ga., was sentenced to 262 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to...

NEW BERN, N.C. – An Ayden man was sentenced today to 165 months in prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine and for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. On July 19, 2022, Maurice Montrell Greene pled guilty to his role in the conspiracy. Greene was the leader of the...