conviction Archives - Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina fentvic.org

Fentanyl toxicity ruled cause in 2024 death as alleged dealer faces judge in New Bern

Read the original article and watch the video on the WCTI News 12 website.

Ryan Burdine died from fentanyl in August of 2024, leaving behind his wife and young son. On Wednesday, the man charged with death by distribution appeared in court.

More than a year after his death, police arrested 32-year-old Brian Jones in connection with the case in August 2025. Burdine’s family is back in court as the case moves forward.

The Havelock man was arrested by Havelock Police and charged with death by distribution through sale.

Investigators say the North Carolina Medical Examiner determined Burdine died from fentanyl toxicity on August 30th, 2024.

I wanna be able to look my kid in the eye and be able to say we got justice for your daddy,” Natasha Burdine said, wife of the victim.

Jones was scheduled for a disposition hearing Wednesday afternoon in Craven County Superior Court.

According to figures provided by Fentanyl Victims Network, 380 fentanyl-related deaths were reported in Craven County between 2013 and 2025, with just six investigations leading to prosecutions.

After the hearing, Brian Jones still remains in the Craven County Jail. This case is still pending in Superior Court.

Fayetteville Drug Dealer Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison

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.

Raleigh Dealer Receives 27-Year Federal Prison Sentence for Fatal Fentanyl Overdose

Read the original press release on the US DOJ website.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Kenneth Omar Roger Chung, also known as “Skully”, 53, of Raleigh, NC, to 27 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl that led to the overdose death of a 26-year-old Raleigh man. In addition, he was also sentenced for conspiracy to possess with intent to sell fentanyl, meth, and cocaine. Chung pleaded guilty to the charges on May 20, 2026.

“When you sell drugs, you know people can die. This isn’t just everyday dealing. He chose profit over human life. Chung kept pushing poison even after he knew someone had died, just went right back out looking for his next customer. This 27-year federal sentence protects the people of the Eastern District of North Carolina for decades and delivers the serious punishment his actions deserved and demanded. The message is simple: Drugs kill. Prison follows. Do the right thing,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.

On March 28, 2023, the Raleigh Police Department responded to a 911 call and found a 26-year-old man dead from a drug overdose. Officers seized heroin, purple fentanyl powder, and 11 Xanax pills from his backpack. An autopsy confirmed he died from a fentanyl overdose. Evidence on his cell phone showed Chung had delivered the drugs the night before. Soon afterward, law enforcement conducted several controlled drug buys, including purple fentanyl, directly from Chung and his co-defendant, Jermaine Robinson.

Repeat Federal Drug Trafficker and Girlfriend Sentenced to Prison

Aurora man Tyran Dixon sentenced in fentanyl overdose death case

Read the original article on the WCTI ABC12 News website.

An Aurora man has been sentenced to prison following a fatal fentanyl overdose and narcotics investigation, according to the Beaufort County District Attorney’s Office.

Tyran Dixon pleaded guilty on Aug. 12 to death by distribution, trafficking in fentanyl, trafficking in methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. He also admitted to violating probation, according to the Beaufort County DA’s office.

The case stems from the December 2023 death of 24-year-old Jaquan Cannon. The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office found Cannon unresponsive inside a vehicle on Peedtown Road in Aurora. The Beaufort County DA’s office said a toxicology report determined he died from acute fentanyl toxicity.

Investigators determined Cannon arranged to purchase fentanyl from Dixon the night before his death, according to the district attorney’s office. In May 2024, a search of Dixon’s Aurora residence uncovered trafficking amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Superior Court Judge Seth Edwards sentenced Dixon to 110 to 144 months for death by distribution, 90 to 120 months for fentanyl trafficking and 70 to 93 months for methamphetamine trafficking. Those sentences will run concurrently.

The Beaufort County DA’s office said that Dixon has to serve at least 110 months, or 9 years and 2 months, before becoming eligible for release. That sentence will begin after Dixon serves an additional 10 to 21 months for his probation violation.

Aurora man gets 12 years in overdose death

BEAUFORT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) – An Aurora man will spend the next 12 years in state prison after his guilty plea in a drug overdose death case.

Beaufort County District Attorney Tom Anglim says Tyran Dixon pleaded guilty to death by distribution, trafficking in fentanyl, trafficking in methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The man also admitted to violating terms of a probationary sentence he was serving when the death happened.

Jaquan Cannon was found dead on December 11, 2023 inside a vehicle on Peedtown Road outside of Aurora.

Anglim says their investigation showed that Cannon bought fentanyl from Dixon the day before he died.

Judge Seth Edwards sentenced Dixon to serve between 9 years, 2 months and 12 years on the death and drug charges, and between 10 months and a year, 9 months for the probation violation.

The judge also ordered Dixon to pay a $750,000 fine and restitution to Cannon’s family.

Guilty verdict in overdose death trial that killed a mother and her infant child

Raleigh man gave his friend a fentanyl-laced pill. Now, he’ll serve prison time

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

Strother Murray-Ndinga talks about her stepson Serguei “Dolys” Ndinga Momo, who died from a drug overdose, as Jerimiah Hargrove (seated, at left), the man charged with selling him the drugs, listens in an Orange County court.

What started as a night of partying in 2023 ended with a prison sentence Tuesday for the man accused of selling the pills that killed his friend in a Carrboro home.

Jerimiah Hargrove, 22, of Raleigh, was scheduled to have his death by distribution case heard by an Orange County jury this week, but he chose Tuesday to accept an Alford plea instead.

That means Hargrove did not legally admit responsibility for the June 27, 2023, death of 21-year-old Serguei “Dolys” Ndinga Momo, but that he thought a jury would have found him guilty.

Superior Court Judge Stephanie Reese sentenced Hargrove to four to six years in prison, and also ordered him to get psychological and substance abuse treatment. He will also get educational and vocational training and be eligible for work release.

A second charge of selling a Schedule II controlled substance was dismissed Monday, court records show.

Reese warned Hargrove to take advantage of the programs available to him and to avoid alcohol and other substances in the future. Defense attorney Patrick Morgan told the court that Hargrove attended Johnston County Community College and worked several jobs before successfully completing most of a 12-month vocational training program in 2024.

Hargrove was kicked out of the Hope Center program after a relapse, but could return in the future, he said.

What led to Ndinga Momo’s death

Hargrove, Ndinga Momo, Hargrove’s girlfriend and another man were drinking together at the victim’s house in Carrboro after midnight on June 27 when Hargrove got out some “Perc 30s” — a pressed pill that included the prescription painkiller Percocet and fentanyl, Orange County Assistant District Attorney Anna Orr said.

Drug dealer sentenced in Johnston County teen’s overdose death

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

A Selma man will spend at least eight years in prison after pleading guilty Monday to selling a teenager the drugs that killed her.

Isaiah Lathomas DaPaul Watson, 27, was charged with death by distribution in the August 2025 death of Alesha Meshaw, 19, of Four Oaks, The News & Observer previously reported.

Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Thomas H. Lock sentenced Watson to a minimum of eight years and maximum of 10 years and eight months in prison, the Johnston County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.

Meshaw was found dead at a friend’s home after overdosing on counterfeit oxycodone pills, The N&O reported in October. The state crime lab found the pills actually contained fentanyl; carfentanil, a synthetic opioid “much more potent than fentanyl”; and ANPP, “a direct precursor to fentanyl and acetylfentanyl,” according to search warrants in the case.

Meshaw’s autopsy found she died from a fentanyl and carfentanil overdose. Her death was ruled an accident.

Meshaw’s boyfriend told police she’d struggled with substance use, and investigators found texts on her phone indicating she’d met with Watson the day before her death to buy $50 of “blues,” according to search warrants.

Watson was arrested in Roanoke, Virginia, last September after hiding out at his girlfriend’s house, search warrants show. He’d previously served time in prison in a 2020 home invasion in Johnston County and also had pending charges there at the time of Meshaw’s death, court records indicate.

Johnston County District Attorney Jason Waller said in the release he was grateful for law enforcement’s work to seek justice for Meshaw.

“Death by distribution cases present unique challenges for prosecution,” Waller said in the email. “The most important witness to the drug transaction is no longer with us, and other witnesses involved in this type of crime are often reluctant to cooperate.”

Meshaw, also known as “Meme” by loved ones, was described by family members in a GoFundMe as a “bright soul [who] never let anything get her down.”

“Our heart goes out to Aleisha’s [sic] family, and I hope this outcome will help them find solace,” said Assistant District Attorney Keith Gordon, who prosecuted the case, in the release. “Aleisha [sic] was a very young woman, loved by many, whose life was lost to a senseless act of greed.”