EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA — An Ayden man was sentenced to the NC Department of Adult Corrections after pleading guilty to trafficking fentanyl, according to District Attorney Scott Thomas.
Marvin Murphy (Photo: State of North Carolina p General Court of Justice)
41-year-old Marvin Murphy was sentenced to a serve 7.5 to 10 years behind bars. In addition, Murphy was also ordered to pay a $100,000 fine.
Back in the summer of 2022, Morehead City and Carteret County detectives conducted controlled undercover buys from Murphy. This included the purchase of what was believed to be heroin for a total of $1,000 in marked cash. Murphy was later arrested after officials obtained warrants.
Testing by the NC State Crime Lab confirmed the substance was 27.99 grams of fentanyl. Officials say it was just under the highest-level trafficking weight.
The Morehead City Police Department and Carteret County Sheriff’s Office was the investigatory agencies. Assistant District Attorney David Spence prosecuted the case for the state and Superior Court Judge William Bland presided over the matter.
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Raleigh fentanyl dealer who used social media platforms to advertise his product was sentenced to 144 months in prison, which includes an enhancement for the defendant’s attempts to intimidate government witnesses. On April 25, 2024, Axel Rodriguez a/k/a “Flash,” age 23, pled guilty to conspiracy and trafficking of fentanyl.
“Drug traffickers are increasingly pushing deadly fake pills through social media. They’ve learned they don’t need to stand on street corners when they can reach kids on their smart phones,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Counterfeit Oxycontin, Percocet, and Xanax sold on social media are driving addiction and overdose death. It’s time to get the word out and warn kids of the risks.”
According to court documents and other information presented in court, in March 2023, Rodriguez became the subject of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Raleigh Police Department (RPD) investigation after he was identified as selling fentanyl in the Raleigh area using his Instagram account. Rodriguez regularly used his Instagram account to post pictures of the pills he was selling, as well as guns. Rodriguez would advertise that he was able to sell “K packs” of fentanyl pills, which is slang for 1,000 pills. Investigators reviewed Rodriguez’s Instagram account and observed numerous posts of firearms, gang members with firearms, and fentanyl pills for sale.
The investigation revealed Rodriguez was obtaining thousands of pills at a time and then distributing them in the Raleigh area. Between March and May of 2023, investigators conducted multiple controlled purchases of blue pills marked “M-30” from Rodriguez. For example, on March 13, 2023, investigators purchased 25 pills marked “M30.” The confidential informant reported that he observed four firearms in Rodriguez’s vehicle during that transaction. The pills tested positive for the presence of fentanyl.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — According to the CDC, tens of thousands of people die each year from fentanyl. It’s an issue affecting people across the country, and right here in North Carolina.
Heaven Leigh Nelson, a 24-year-old victim of fentanyl. (Photo courtesy Patricia Drewes)
Officials have been working on solutions for years to get fentanyl out of the state and country.
Just two milligrams of this powerful synthetic opioid is enough to kill the average person, and it does just that, every day.
“She loved everyone, and everyone loved her,” said Patricia Drewes of her daughter, Heaven Leigh Nelson. Drewes said in her daughter’s 24 years on this earth, she loved photography, the arts and people.
“She used to tell me all the time that there was no such thing as strangers. The strangers were friends that we just hadn’t met yet and that’s the way she lived her life,” she added.
Drewes said one day, Heaven went to a party.
“Something happened to her at a party—something tragic—and that set her into a tailspin. So, my daughter did suffer from a substance abuse disorder and that was caused by this tragic event,” Drewes said.
Her daughter went to a rehabilitation center in Kentucky for help.
“Someone brought her back home against my wishes. They had sent me a message saying they wanted to bring her back. You know, that she wanted to come home and I refused to bring her home because I wanted her to finish the program,” Drewes said.
She said Heaven came back home to Vance County, N.C. just before she received the call every parent fears.
“On a Monday night, January 28, 2019, and my fiancé answered the phone, and I heard him say oh God oh no,” Drewes said. “I think that my mind knew but my heart didn’t want to accept that it was about my daughter.”
Heaven passed away and it was not until months later that Drewes said she learned fentanyl took her daughter’s life. At the time, she says, she knew nothing about fentanyl.
“Absolutely nothing. No one was talking about illicit fentanyl in 2019. I had no clue,” said Drewes. “It felt like someone had punched me in my face and a gut punch because to me, illicit fentanyl, is, that’s a poisoning. That’s murder. And that’s what it felt like when I read the fentanyl. And I’m like, what is fentanyl?”
“A larger issue every single day”
Just the tiniest bit of fentanyl, two milligrams, is enough to kill the average person.
“It’s not just those that have a substance use disorder dying in this country. Everyone’s children are dying. We have infants, we have toddlers, we have teenagers, young adults, those with substance use disorder, and those without—dying. You know, it affects everyone,” said Drewes.
According to data from the North Carolina Division of Health and Human Services, in 2012, 140 people died from fentanyl state-wide. In 2021, the number skyrocketed to 3,117. The most-recent finalized data available comes from 2021, according to the department.
In Wake County in 2012, there was a more than 8,700% increase in deaths from fentanyl during that same time period.
In Durham County, there was an 8,900% increase in deaths from fentanyl from 2012 to 2021.
“Well, unfortunately, Mary, it’s becoming a larger issue every single day. And that’s not an over-exaggeration. For example, last year, my deputies seized approximately 3.7, little less than four grams of fentanyl. And earlier this year, we have seized over 300 grams of fentanyl,” said Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead.
At the sheriff’s office, evidence technicians handle suspected fentanyl in plastic bags. The “controlled contraband” was seized by the sheriff’s office. In the room with the evidence is Narcan, just in case.
“We’ve seized in pills. We’ve seized pill presses along with it. It’s been laced. Marijuana is being laced with fentanyl. So, we’re seeing it in unimaginable places,” said Sheriff Birkhead. “This is an industry that is making money. Fentanyl is far cheaper than any other drug to manufacture or to make these days. We know that this is not just a North Carolina or East Coast problem. The precursors for fentanyl come from China. The drugs are coming up from the southern border. They’re coming across from the northern border, and they’re just infiltrating cities all across the country. And unfortunately, it has made its way to Durham.”
Provisional data from the CDC states in 2023, there were an estimated 74,702 deaths from synthetic opioids, which it says is primarily fentanyl. That’s down slightly from 76,226 in 2022. Provisional data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services from June 2024 shows “fentanyl positive” deaths also trending downward. These are deaths where fentanyl was detected but the person’s official cause of death has not been ruled/determined.
Turning tragedy into advocacy
While there are reported decreases in deaths, Drewes tells us, there is so much work to do. After her daughter’s death, she founded ‘Forgotten Victims of North Carolina,” is one of two state representatives for the North Carolina chapter of Drug-Induced Homicide Foundation, and is the Vice President of ‘Lost Voices of Fentanyl.’
“We are the largest fentanyl advocacy group in the country. We host a national event every year at the national monument, and we march to the white house,” said Drewes.
Sometimes attending these advocacy events by her side is her daughter’s son. “She was my only child so he will be my only grandchild and that’s what I call him. He’s my gift from God and Heaven.”
(Photo courtesy Patricia Drewes)
Drewes told CBS 17 she wants more people held accountable in these cases. In North Carolina, there is a criminal charge called death by distribution. However, she says no one has been charged in connection to her daughter’s death.
How to access naloxone, other resources in NC
In North Carolina, there is a statewide standing order for naloxone, commonly known by the brand name, “Narcan.” It authorizes pharmacists to dispense naloxone to any person meeting the criteria.
Under this order, it is available without a prescription at most retail pharmacies in the state. It is also covered under most insurance policies. It is also available at local health departments and many syringe service programs.
According to preliminary SSP data from DHHS, more than 114,000 naloxone overdose rescue kits were distributed last year. For more information about naloxone and other statewide resources, visit the NCDHHS website or https://naloxonesaves.org/.
Imagine if your child went to sleep tonight, never to wake up in the morning. If you can’t, then share this video message.
SAVE A LIFE. The time is NOW. “Fentanyl, which is often hidden in counterfeit pills, is fueling the worst drug crisis in U.S. history. Last year the synthetic opioid killed more than 70,000 Americans.” -60 Minutes on CBS
Just Two Questions has created this video to tell Wilson Moore’s story and raise awareness of the risks of counterfeit pills in America.
The charge is related to the distribution of fentanyl, which resulted in the overdose death of Krista Olivia Taylor, 19, of Morehead City, on Oct. 16, 2022, per authorities.
Morehead City authorities say that during a narcotics investigation by these two agencies, Hunter was determined to be the source of fentanyl distribution within the community. As a result of that investigation, Hunter received additional charges by Morehead City Police: Sell of Schedule I Controlled Substance, Deliver of Schedule I Controlled Substance, Manufacturing of a Schedule I Controlled Substance and Conspiracy to Sell and Deliver a Schedule I Controlled Substance.
At the time of his arrest, Hunter was found to be in possession of heroin, methamphetamine and a firearm. Based on this evidence, the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office filed additional charges: Intent to Manufacture, Sell and Deliver Heroin and Possession with the Intent to Manufacture, Sell and Deliver Methamphetamine.
Wayne County sheriff’s deputy Michael Kenneth Cox received a six-year, two-month prison sentence for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and a mail and wire fraud conspiracy.
A Wayne County sheriff’s deputy received a six-year, two-month sentence for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and a mail and wire fraud conspiracy, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
Michael Kenneth Cox, 49, will also have three years of supervised release after the sentence.
“We discovered Cox’s criminal activity as part of a much larger, multi-year investigation into dozens of drug traffickers across eastern North Carolina known as Operation Polar Bear,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Michael Easley Jr.
Citing court documents and other information presented in court, the Justice Department said Cox helped two drug traffickers evade chargers while he was a Wayne County deputy.
Medical examiner Dr. Steven Campman told 60 Minutes that more than two doses of naloxone, a life-saving drug that can reverse opioid overdoses, might be necessary to save the life of someone who has overdosed on fentanyl. “60 Minutes” is the most successful television broadcast in history. Offering hard-hitting investigative reports, interviews, feature segments and profiles of people in the news, the broadcast began in 1968 and is still a hit, over 50 seasons later, regularly making Nielsen’s Top 10.
See the original video clip and read the article on the 60 Minutes website.
Fentanyl, which is often hidden in counterfeit pills, is fueling the worst drug crisis in U.S. history. Last year the synthetic opioid killed more than 70,000 Americans.
