Alston Parker Sentenced to 15 Years for Drug Smuggling

RALEIGH, N.C.—Alston Lamonte Parker, a 39-year-old repeat offender, was handed a 15-year sentence after a joint operation between the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office and the ATF culminated in the seizure of a substantial cache of drugs, cash, and firearms. The grim reaper had finally caught up with the so-called ‘Big Shark Bad Boy,’ who authorities say was operating out of Roanoke Rapids.

On March 5, 2024, HCSO officers executed two search warrants based on a three-year surveillance of Parker, uncovering a clandestine operation. One residence on Zoo Road served as a stash house for the illicit narcotics, while another at New Hope Street was used to store proceeds from drug sales.

The drugs recovered were a chilling testament to Parker’s reign of terror: 586.68 grams of cocaine, 1,605 grams of marijuana, eight grams of crack, and $13,079 in cash. A Springfield Armory, Model XDS 9mm pistol completed the sinister picture, its origins traced back to Virginia. An additional $11,851 was found at the New Hope Street residence.

Parker, a convicted felon with two prior cocaine possession convictions, was already on federal supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine when he committed his latest offense. His previous sentence of 156 months in federal prison loomed large as he faced the prospect of another decade behind bars.

U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle praised the partnership between local law enforcement and federal agencies, stating, ‘We will continue to focus on making Eastern North Carolina safer for the good citizens who proudly live there.’ Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Dixon prosecuted the case with determination.

Court records and additional information are available on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina’s website or through PACER by searching Case No. 4:24-CR-00057-M-RJ.