Deandre Sweet, 27, Indicted in Wilmington Heroin Ring

Deandre Sweet, 27, of Wilmington, is at the center of a federal heroin trafficking indictment charging him and two co-defendants in a drug ring that flooded the city with deadly narcotics for over two years. The Eastern District of North Carolina U.S. Attorney, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., confirmed the arrests and federal custody transfers following a 15-count indictment returned February 28, 2018.

Alongside Deandre Sweet, Kyeric Sweet, 24, and Diquelle Sweet, 21—also of Wilmington—were named in the indictment. All three face conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, with the alleged operation running from April 2015 through October 2017. Authorities say the network operated across the Eastern District, exploiting vulnerable communities with consistent heroin supply.

Diquelle Sweet faces an additional charge of felon in possession of a firearm, a charge that could add years to any eventual sentence. He was first arrested by the Wilmington Police Department on October 11, 2017. Kyeric Sweet was taken into custody the following day, October 12, 2017, in a joint operation by the FBI and Wilmington Police Department.

Deandre Sweet had already been off the streets since his arrest by the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office on September 19, 2016. Despite being detained for over a year before the indictment, federal prosecutors moved swiftly to formalize the charges once the grand jury returned its decision. He remains held at the New Hanover County Detention Center, as does Diquelle Sweet. Kyeric Sweet is being held in the Columbus County Detention Center.

The investigation was led by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, working in tandem with the Wilmington Police Department and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office. Law enforcement sources say surveillance, controlled buys, and cooperating witnesses helped dismantle the organization and build the case against all three defendants.

The charges against Deandre Sweet, Kyeric Sweet, and Diquelle Sweet are merely accusations under federal law. All are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If convicted, they face decades in federal prison, with sentencing dictated by the severity of the charges, prior records, and the role each played in the alleged conspiracy.