This is a major moment in the fight against counterfeit pills. “Sophie” Xaiofei Chen has been sentenced to 4 years and 4 months for trafficking pill-making equipment into the U.S., one of the few times a supplier with no direct drug trafficking charges has faced serious consequences.
Learn how this case signals a broader federal crackdown on companies supplying the tools used to manufacture deadly fake pills, why this matters, what’s next in 2026, and how this prosecution fits into America’s struggle with fentanyl-laced counterfeit medications.
DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — A man has been arrested, and a kilo of the highly potent, synthetic opioid fentanyl has been seized by the Durham County Sheriff’s Office.
On Thursday, Jerrad Alexander McPherson, 28, was seen acting suspiciously in what appeared to be the sale and distribution of drugs, according to investigators with the sheriff’s narcotics unit.
Detective S. Dixon attempted a traffic stop of the maroon Buick Encore McPherson was driving, at which time warrants state McPherson drove recklessly and more than 15 mph over the posted limit in the area of Hillsborough and Colemill roads in northwest Durham.
During a short pursuit, the sheriff’s office said McPherson threw items out of the car before coming to a stop. The items thrown from the car were found to be a stolen 9mm semiautomatic pistol and a “small amount of narcotics,” according to the sheriff’s office.
After the traffic stop, a warrant was granted to search McPherson’s home, where a kilo of fentanyl was found and seized.
At the time of his arrest, McPherson was on federal probation and had been previously convicted on drug possession charges, according to his warrant.
Following his Thursday arrest, he was taken to the Durham County jail and given a $2.5 million bond. His charges include:
Trafficking opium or fentanyl
Possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver fentanyl
Possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver methamphetamine
Felony possession of cocaine
Felony flee/elude arrest with a motor vehicle
2 counts of maintaining a vehicle/dwelling with controlled substances
Possession of a stolen firearm
Possess firearm by felon
Possession of drug paraphernalia
The sheriff’s office said one kilo is enough to kill about 500,000 people, which is more than the population of the entire City of Durham.
“To remove a kilo of fentanyl off our streets potentially saves 500,000 lives because fentanyl is so potent,” Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead told CBS 17. “An amount that’s the size of a pinhead could kill an individual.”
From January to August 2025, the state reported 44 fentanyl-positive deaths in Durham County. Though progress is being made, the county has lost more than 500 people due to opioids since 2013.
“Hopefully now, we’ll put together a good case and present it to the district attorney or to the U.S. attorney’s office because this is trafficking,” Birkhead said. “We’ll try to prosecute this individual to the fullest extent of the law.”
That’s a welcomed goal for family members of local victims.
ROCKINGHAM — Richmond County continues to have the state’s highest fentanyl-positive death rate, although the number of such deaths continues to drop statewide.
According to the latest figures published by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the rate of fentanyl-positive deaths in Richmond County from July of 2024 to August of 2025 was 38.1 — more than twice the statewide rate of 14.3.
(NOTE: Rates are per 100,000.)
The OCME no longer lists the actual number of deaths per county, however, the rate is the same as it was for the 12 months ending in July of 2025.
Other counties with the top-1o highest rates are: Bladen (33.6); Gaston (30.6); Burke (30.5); Robeson (29.5); Pasquotank (26.6); Yadkin (26.3); Wilson (25); Buncombe (24.4); and Rowan (22.2).
Statistics show that, statewide, deaths decreased by 17% from 126 in July to 104 in August. Fentanyl-positive deaths are also down 26% compared to the first eight months of 2024, and numbers are the lowest since 2019.
Neighboring Anson County is one of about a dozen counties with no fentanyl-positive deaths in the past year.
The total number of such deaths peaked in 2022 at 3,358. That year, the county’s rate topped out at 76.7.
Based on reports, fentanyl was the only substance present in 19% of deaths. Over the past year, cocaine has been the largest contributor in polysubstance use fentanyl-positive deaths (36%-53%), followed closely by methamphetamine (22%-41%).
Detectives from the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Investigative Unit have arrested a 31-year-old man following an extensive investigation into a fatal overdose that occurred in April 2024.
The incident took place on April 29, 2024, when deputies responded to a reported overdose at 6012 Laurel Knoll Drive in Pleasant Garden, N.C. Upon arrival, Guilford County Emergency Services pronounced 41-year-old Roger Lee Brown Jr. deceased.
With assistance from the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the Guilford County District Attorney’s Office, detectives charged Dylan Wayne Brown with felony death by distribution. He is being held in the Guilford County Detention Center in Greensboro under a $100,000 secured bond. Brown’s first court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, at 2 p.m.
The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office has charged a man in connection with a fatal overdose that happened a year and a half ago.
According to Sheriff Danny Rogers, detectives with the Major Crimes Investigative Unit arrested 31-year-old Dylan Wayne Brown on Monday, Nov. 24, following what the department described as an extensive investigation into the April 2024 death of 41-year-old Roger Lee Brown Jr.
On April 29 of last year, deputies responded to 6012 Laurel Knoll Drive in Pleasant Garden for a reported overdose. While deputies were on the way, Guilford County Emergency Services pronounced Roger Lee Brown Jr. deceased at the scene.
Investigators said the case moved forward with assistance from the NC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the Guilford County District Attorney’s Office.
Detectives ultimately charged Dylan Wayne Brown (pictured above) with Felony Death by Distribution.
Brown is currently being held in the Guilford County Detention Center in Greensboro under a $100,000 secured bond. His first court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, at 2 p.m.
The Sheriff’s Department said the investigation remains ongoing and added that there’s no additional information available at this time.
Anyone with information related to the case is being urged to contact Detective J. Allen at 336-641-2799 or Guilford County Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000.
