Category: North Carolina News

Harnett County man charged with trafficking 30 grams of fentanyl, enough to kill 15,000 people

Read the original article and watch the video on the WRAL New website.

North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) agents said they arrested a Harnett County man with more than 30 grams of fentanyl, enough to kill 15,400 people.

Christopher William Johnston, 34, of Spring Lake, is charged with 10 counts of trafficking fentanyl, among other charges.

Agents said they searched a mobile home on Peggy Street on Thursday, seizing cocaine, opioids, psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana and over $12,000 in cash.

Johnston was arrested and charged with:

  • Felony trafficking in fentanyl – 10 counts
  • Felony conspiracy to traffic in fentanyl – 2 counts 
  • Felony maintain a vehicle for a controlled substance – 2 counts
  • Felony assault on a law enforcement officer causing physical injury
  • Felony trafficking in opium 
  • Felony possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine
  • Felony possession of a Schedule I controlled substance
  • Assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer  – 2 counts
  • Injury to personal property 
  • Possession of drug paraphernalia
  • Possession of marijuana

Johnston is accused of trafficking the drugs at ABC-licensed businesses in Harnett County. 

Johnston is also accused of trying to run over several officers while trying to avoid arrest, leaving one agent with minor injuries. He’s being held in the Harnett County Detention Center without bond.

The suspect’s brother, Nicholas Jacob Johnston, 36, of Spring Lake, was also charged with fentanyl trafficking and possession of drug paraphernalia. He has not been arrested.

15,400 lethal fentanyl doses seized in Harnett County trafficking bust, ALE says

Read the original article and watch the video on the WITN website.

HARNETT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) – The North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement seized more than 15,400 lethal doses of fentanyl, following a month-long investigation into trafficking in Harnett County.

According to court records, Christopher Johnston was charged with the following:

  • 10 counts of trafficking fentanyl
  • Two counts of conspiracy to traffic in fentanyl
  • Two counts of maintaining a vehicle for a controlled substance
  • One count of trafficking in opium
  • One count of possession of a schedule I controlled substance
  • One count of assault inflicting physical injury on a law enforcement officer
  • Two counts of assault with a deadly weapon
  • One count of injury to personal property
  • One count of possession of drug paraphernalia
  • One count of possession of marijuana
  • One count of possession of cocaine

Law enforcement said they also seized cocaine, opioids, psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana and over $12,000 in cash after executing a search warrant at Johnston’s home in Spring Lake.

During the arrest, court records say that Johnston tried to run over special agents during the arrest with a BMW. One agent had minor injuries, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

Christopher Johnston’s brother, Nicholas Johnston, has been charged in connection with the investigation with the following, according to NCDPS:

  • Three counts of trafficking in fentanyl
  • One count of conspiring to traffic in fentanyl
  • Possession of drug paraphernalia.

Nicholas Johnston has not been arrested, according to law enforcement.

34-year-old Christopher Johnston received a $500,000 secured bond and will appear next in court on Nov. 10.

National Prescription Take Back Day is October 24

Read the original article on the City of Raleigh website.

Join the Raleigh Police Department and Substance Use Advisory Commission in addressing the drug overdose epidemic by participating in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) National Prescription Take Back Day. 

Safely dispose of your unneeded or expired prescription and over-the counter medications at the local pharmacies listed below. This is a free service and no questions will be asked.

When? Saturday, October 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where? Visit either one of the participating locations below.

  • Falls River Pharmacy, 10930 Raven Ridge Rd, Suite 109, Raleigh NC
  • Wegmans,1200 Wake Towne Dr, Raleigh NC

Safeguard your community’s safety and health by responsibly disposing of unneeded medication!

Raleigh man sentenced to federal prison for fatal fentanyl overdose in 2023

Read the original article on the Raleigh News & Observer website.

A Raleigh man was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl that lead to the 2023 overdose death of a 26-year-old man, federal prosecutors announced.

Kenneth Omar Roger Chung, 53, also known as “Skully,” was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. Chung previously pleaded guilty in May to the distribution charge, as well as conspiracy to possess with intent to sell fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, the investigation began on March 28, 2023, when Raleigh police officers found the victim, who was not publicly identified, dead with heroin, Xanax, and “purple fentanyl powder” in his backpack.

Investigators traced the fatal dose back to Chung through text messages on the victim’s cellphone, prompting law enforcement to conduct a series of undercover drug buys from Chung and a co-defendant.

A string of fatal overdoses

Court records connect Chung’s drug operation to two additional fatal overdoses in Wake County just months later in October 2023. A Cary man died after Chung allegedly delivered crack cocaine to him.

A little over two weeks later, on Oct. 23, Raleigh police responded to Chung’s apartment and found his roommate unresponsive. The roommate later died of an overdose.

Following the roommate’s death, investigators raided Chung’s apartment two days later. Officers seized significant quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and four firearms, leading to his arrest.

In a news release, Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce said “we worked to disrupt the illegal drug trade, remove dangerous drugs from our community, and protect the people we serve.”

The prosecution is part of “Operation Take Back America,” a U.S. Department of Justice initiative targeting criminal organizations.

Man charged in fatal overdose investigation in New Hanover County

Read the original article not the ABC News12 website.

Rondell Davis (New Hanover County)

New Hanover County — A man has been charged in connection with a fatal overdose in Wilmington, according to the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said detectives responded July 4 to a location on Carolina Beach Road to investigate the overdose death. After an investigation, detectives identified Rondell Kimpatrick Davis as a suspect.

Davis was charged Oct. 10 with death by distribution and a pretrial release violation. He is being held at the New Hanover County Detention Facility under a $550,000 secured bond.

22-year-old charged with death by distribution in Brunswick County overdose

Read the original article on the WWAYTV3 website.

Jordan Anthony Scott

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A 22-year-old North Carolina man has been charged with death by distribution following an investigation into a fatal overdose in Brunswick County.

According to the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office, Dallas Sutton died from an overdose on July 16, 2026.

Investigators said methamphetamine and fentanyl were found at the scene, and toxicology results later confirmed both substances were in Sutton’s system at the time of her death.

Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division and Vice and Narcotics Division identified Jordan Anthony Scott, 22, of Stoneville, as a suspect.

According to investigators, evidence indicated Scott supplied controlled substances to Sutton before her death.

Scott has since been charged with death by distribution.

The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office said it remains committed to investigating overdose deaths and holding those responsible for distributing dangerous drugs accountable.

Sanford men charged in same woman’s death

Separate warrants allege both men delivered the substance that killed Mary Yarter

Read the original article on the Harnett Daily Record website.

Two Sanford men face aggravated death by distribution charges after separate Harnett County warrants allege each delivered a controlled substance to the same woman in connection with her death.

Carlos Honorio Peoples, left, and Demetrios Antwon Faucette, right.

Demetrios Antwon Faucette, 40, of Highland Circle, and Carlos Honorio Peoples, 39, of Hawkins Avenue, are charged in separate cases involving the death of Mary Yarter. Court records list Aug. 23 as the alleged offense date in both cases.

According to the arrest warrants, Faucette and Peoples are each accused of delivering a controlled substance to Yarter, whose ingestion of the substance allegedly caused her death.

Neither warrant identifies the controlled substance.

Court records do not explain whether the men are accused of acting together, whether the charges involve the same delivery of drugs or what role investigators allege each man played in the circumstances leading to Yarter’s death.

An obituary for Mary Elise Yarter, 26, of Sanford, published by Miller-Boles Funeral Home, lists Carlos Peoples as her husband. The obituary does not include a middle name for Peoples.

Both aggravated death by distribution charges are classified as Class B1 felonies.

Leonardo Castellanos of the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office is listed as the complainant in both cases. Warrants for both men were issued Oct. 1.

Faucette was arrested Oct. 4 and made his first appearance by video the following day. District Court Judge Terry F. Rose set his bond at $500,000 secured, and attorney Jonathan W. Stillo was appointed to represent him.

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