CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Four individuals have been sentenced to federal prison for distributing thousands of fentanyl-laced pills in the Charlotte area, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Ezekiel Lee Suber, 26, of Forest City, N.C. was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Darien Akiel Brown, 24, also of Forest City, was sentenced to 72 months in prison and four years of supervised release. Elija McDowell, 22, of Charlotte was ordered to serve 57 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release, and Jocelyn Marie Hamilton, 26, of Charleston, West Virginia, was sentenced to five years of probation.
According to court documents and court proceedings, between 2023 and 2024, the defendants, led by Suber, operated as a drug conspiracy trafficking fentanyl in Charlotte and elsewhere. Court documents show that during the investigation undercover law enforcement officers made multiple purchases of fentanyl-laced pills from Suber and his co-defendants. The pills were yellow in color and had a “T-189” imprint, which is the same as color and imprint as 30 milligram Oxycodone Hydrochloride tablets.
In addition, court documents show that during some of the undercover drug buys law enforcement observed that Suber was armed with a firearm. On February 27, 2024, law enforcement arrested Suber at his residence in Charlotte. During a subsequent search of the residence, they seized two loaded firearms, two loaded magazines, multiple rounds of ammunition, and more than $4,200 in U.S. currency.
Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement purchased over 7,000 fentanyl-laced pills from the co-conspirators, containing over a kilogram of fentanyl.
In making the announcement U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Washington prosecuted the case.
The exact criminal charges against the defendants are not specified in the source, but the defendants were convicted of federal crimes related to fentanyl trafficking and distribution.
Defendant: Ezekiel Lee Suber
City and State: Forest City, N.C.
Exact Date: The crime date is between 2023 and 2024, and the sentencing date is not specified.
Sentence or Outcome: Ezekiel Lee Suber was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Dollar Amounts: Over $4,200 in U.S. currency was seized during the search of Suber’s residence.
Related Federal Cases
- Keith Deshon Adams, Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Possession with Intent to Distribute, North Carolina 2022 · Virginia
- Andrew Richard Rodarte, Cocaine Trafficking, North Carolina 2019 · North Carolina
- Gerard Roderkus Fenner, Heroin, Methamphetamine, and Firearm Trafficking, North Carolina 2021 · North Carolina
- Marcus Dewayne Smith, Firearm Possession while Distributing Fentanyl, Virginia 2020 · New York
- Dania Ramos, Failing to Report to Federal Prison, North Carolina 2023 · Puerto Rico
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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