WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – A man from Wilmington recently pleaded guilty to drug charges and a count of involuntary manslaughter in connection to a fatal fentanyl overdose in 2022.
Per District Attorney Ben David’s Office, Fred English pleaded guilty on Thursday, June 29, to the following charges:
Involuntary manslaughter
Possession with intent to sell and deliver schedule I controlled substance
Possession with intent to sell and deliver schedule II controlled substance
English was sentenced to 75-90 months in prison on Thursday, July 13.
A boyish light had just seeped back into Laird Ramirez’ eyes.
The end of wrestling season brought more free time. With it, he mixed music, cracked jokes and relaxed. He loved life, and he loved his family. He was 17 and acting like it.
His smile was big, and his heart was beating.
The Hough High School rising junior wore well the unique independence that comes with being a teenager, his mom said.
But on July 1, he needed his parents one last time.
Authorities called Gwyneth Brown and Chris Ramirez to the two-story home in the Stratford Forest neighborhood.
They needed to identify his body — robbed of light and color — at a home in Cornelius, paramedics told them.
The night before he’d come and gone from the home, a friend’s house, a few times. At around 3 a.m., he’d returned for good and was chatting with friends when he abruptly beelined for a bed. He said didn’t feel good, his friends told his parents.
Twelve hours later, friends found him dead.
A fatal dose of fentanyl — from a pill he thought was a Percocet — killed him, his mom says.
Nine days later, police arrested and charged 21-year-old Ehsanullah “Sean” Ayaar with death by distribution, according to the Cornelius Police Department. He’s accused of supplying the drug that killed a juvenile, police said previously. A police statement indicates the death was in the Stratford Forest neighborhood.
The DEA calls fentanyl “the single deadliest drug threat our nation has ever encountered” yet the U.S. has struggled over administrations to address the growing crisis.
Chuck Todd discusses the sources of fentanyl coming into the US on Meet the Press
In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas discusses the crisis of fentanyl flowing into America and the Biden administration’s plan to handle an expected surge of migrants at the southern border.
Chuck Todd interviews Alejandro Mayorkas and discusses fentanyl beginning at the 8:53 mark.
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) joins Meet the Press to discuss his state’s challenges in fighting addiction and the federal government’s failed responses in previous administrations.
Chuck Todd interviews Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown regarding the fentanyl crisis
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram says the Biden administration’s approach to the fentanyl epidemic is not a war on drugs but “a fight to save lives” and addresses China and Mexico’s roles in the illicit drug trade in an interview with Meet the Press.
Angie Demby, CEO and Founder of AMEND Foundation, was interviewed by WNCT TV9. Angie is working to help others who have lost loved ones to gun violence and substance abuse.
BOONE — The Boone Police Department has issued a public service announcement after officers responded to four overdose calls on Saturday, July 1.
“These were very serious cases and we came very close to losing a young man. We suspect fentanyl may be involved,” the department stated. “If you have never had to tell parents that their child is gone, consider yourself lucky. Unfortunately, we have lost count on how many times we have had to give parents and family members the worst news of their life, and we hope not to have to do it again today.
The department stated officers spend a lot of time and effort to arrest and disrupt drug traffickers and have a good deal of success intercepting shipments before it arrives in Boone, but cannot get it all.
“While I don’t condone the use of illegal substances, we care about everyone in our community, including those who struggle with addiction,” Boone Police Chief Andy Le Beau said. “Our goal is to save lives by encouraging users to get help and to bring drug dealers to justice.”
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) — Scott Zimmerman and his family in Chapel Hill are devastated.
He’d rather not share the agonizing story of his oldest son’s sudden and shocking death, but he’s doing it.
Zimmerman wants to shed light on a huge problem in North Carolina’s fight against the deadly, illicit drug, fentanyl. It leaves dealers on the streets longer and loved ones waiting for justice.
Hannah Goetz from WSOC TV9 interviewed Beth Abernathy about her son Marshall’s death by distrubution case and Beth’s quest for justice. Marshall died from fentanyl poisoning on June 30, 2022.
This is a two-part series originally published in July 2018 by Elizabeth Cook
SALISBURY — The message on White House stationery is brief. The president thanks Amy Morris of Salisbury for her letter about daughter Taylor’s overdose and death in November 2017. He and Melania send their prayers, he says. And he pledges his commitment to battle the opioid epidemic. “My Administration is fighting this crisis on all fronts, and examples like yours motivate me to keep up the fight,” the letter says. Below was his distinctive signature in bold, black ink: Donald J. Trump. Amy was shocked to receive the response. The president’s message mentioned Taylor by name. Amy believes Trump wants to see change. But she is not waiting around to see what happens. She’s sharing the story of her daughter’s death to bring opioids out of the forgotten shadows and open other parents’ eyes. “My concern is I don’t want to see another mother go through the heartache that I went through,” Amy says, “and I know that it’s happening over and over.”
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has indicted eight Chinese nationals and arrested two for alleged fentanyl manufacturing, distribution and more, a move that current and former federal officials confirmed to Newsweek ahead of the announcement.
Three China-based chemical companies and eight Chinese nationals were charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, the DOJ said during a Friday press conference. Prosecutors said two of the eight employees have been taken into custody, including a corporate executive and marketing manager.
“When companies and employees, including those in the C-suite knowingly fuel the fentanyl crisis, they will be held to account. We will expose them as drug traffickers,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said.
