Deontray Tremell Bryant, Heroin Possession with Intent to Distribute, North Carolina 2018

A Brunswick County man has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for his role in a heroin distribution operation.

Deontray Tremell Bryant, 32, also known as ‘Certified,’ pleaded guilty to one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin on July 5, 2018.

According to court documents, Bryant was selling heroin from a residence in Supply, North Carolina, in March 2016. Investigators with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) received complaints that Bryant was distributing heroin and launched an investigation.

On March 19, 2016, officers observed a hand-to-hand transaction between a male and Bryant. A traffic stop was conducted, and officers found bindles of suspected heroin in the vehicle. A confidential informant then conducted a controlled purchase of heroin from Bryant on March 22, 2016.

A search warrant was executed at Bryant’s residence on March 23, 2016, and agents seized 6.44 grams of cocaine and over 150 bindles of heroin, each containing approximately 0.02 grams of heroin.

The case is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott A. Lemmon prosecuted the case.

Bryant’s 70-month prison sentence is a significant blow to the heroin distribution operation in Brunswick County. The Take Back North Carolina Initiative, a regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices, aims to reduce violent crime rates, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:17-CR-150-FL-1.

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