death by distribution Archives - Page 2 of 18 - Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina

Despite funding increases and legislative support, North Carolina’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner remains backlogged due to a national shortage of pathologists and a surge in subpoenas requiring experts to testify in person.

Getting an autopsy report in North Carolina after someone dies can take months. Despite recent funding for the medical examiner’s office, prosecutors say the backlog of autopsies is slowing down justice.

Simply put, the state’s medical examiner’s office is overloaded. A huge influx in funding helped. But what’s straining the system isn’t the caseload now, it’s the courts.

Dorleen Richardson is waiting for an autopsy on her husband, Antony, who was killed by Johnston County deputies on Jan. 25 following a mental health crisis. Her garage is still riddled with bullet holes, reminding her of the day he died.

“His feet were there, and his body was there,” Richardson said pointing to the floor of her garage.

Drug dealer linked to fentanyl OD death gets 10+ years in prison after Raleigh, Franklin County raids, Feds say

Read the original article on the CBS17 News website.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A “prolific” Franklin County fentanyl dealer who was linked to a drug death and fentanyl marketed to children was sentenced to at least 10 years in federal prison this week, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Ahmod Talley was arrested in June 2025 after he was pulled over and found with “perversely labeled” fentanyl with terms like “Try This” and “Life Support,” a U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina news release said.

Ahmod Maliq Talley (inset) in a photo from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Franklin County Sheriff’s Office file photo by CBS 17

Talley sold fentanyl to the overdose victim just three days before the death, and the “Try This” stamped fentanyl was also found at the overdose death scene, the news release said.

Later, Raleigh and Franklinton raids of Talley’s home and his grandmother’s house led to the discovery of guns and fentanyl “marketed at children” stamped “Goosebumps,” prosecutors said.

“This sentence sends a message, understand clearly: when you sell deadly poison to our kids and families just to make a little bit of money, you will pay serious consequences,” U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle said in the news release.

In addition to fentanyl, prosecutors said raids of homes in Raleigh and Franklinton discovered cocaine, heroin, and marijuana.

A federal order along with Talley’s conviction also said officials would seize guns, including:

Glock 23 pistol
Kahr P380 pistol
Delton 5.56 rifle
All ammo associated with each firearm

Talley’s guns and drugs were found in homes in Franklinton and Raleigh in mid-January 2025, according to an order of forfeiture in a plea deal with the prosecution.

As part of a plea agreement, officials said Talley pleaded guilty to:

conspiracy to sell and possess with the intent to sell heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine
possession with intent to sell heroin and fentanyl
possession with intent to sell cocaine
two counts of possession of a gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

“This prolific drug dealer earned every day of his prison sentence, and the residents of Eastern North Carolina will be safer while he’s locked up,” Boyle said in the release.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations worked on the investigation into Talley, the news release said.

Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II sentenced Talley in the case on Tuesday. Court officials recommended that Talley serve time at the Federal Prison in Butner.

Deputies: Lee County couple accused of selling fentanyl with child present

Read the original article on the WRAL News website.

Felipe Jaimes Jr. and Leemary Davila Rosado

Two people from Lee County were arrested Thursday after being accused of selling fentanyl with a child present, deputies said.

Lee County deputies said an investigation found that 32-year-old Felipe Jaimes Jr. and 39-year-old Leemary Davila Rosado were working together to sell and deliver fentanyl in Lee County.

According to deputies, the pair had their child present with them while they were delivering the drugs.

The two were each charged with:

4 counts of trafficking fentanyl
3 counts possession with intent to sell and deliver fentanyl
3 counts of exposing child to controlled substnace
2 counts of felony conspiracy
3 counts of possession of drug paraphernalia

During their first court appearances, both Jaimes and Rosado were given a $2 million bond each.

North Carolina man charged after 22-year-old dies of fatal drug overdose, deputies say

Read the original article on the WYFF 4 website.

MCDOWELL COUNTY, N.C. —

A man in McDowell County, North Carolina, has been charged after a 22-year-old’s death was ruled an overdose.

On July 10, 2025, the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call regarding a cardiac arrest.

When deputies arrived, they found Garrett Shepard dead at a home.

In February 2026, an autopsy reported Shephard had died from toxic levels of fentanyl and cocaine in his body. There were no signs of trauma or injury.

Investigators determined 46-year-old James Curtis Johnson was responsible for distributing the drugs to Shepard and was charged with felony death by distribution.

“This case is a tragic reminder of the deadly consequences tied to fentanyl and illegal drug distribution,” said Chief Deputy Nathan Mace. “When individuals choose to sell or share these substances, they are putting lives at risk—and in this case, it cost a young man his life.”