ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Drako Butler, a 35-year-old resident of Tarboro, North Carolina, is headed to federal prison for eight years after being convicted on drug and firearms offenses. Butler was sentenced to 96 months on March 5, 2024, following a guilty plea entered earlier that month.
The case began unraveling on May 31, 2023, when Nash County Sheriff’s Deputies pulled over Butler’s vehicle and discovered a cocktail of illegal substances – cocaine, marijuana, THC edibles – alongside a loaded 9mm semi-automatic firearm with 24 rounds of ammunition. This initial bust triggered a wider investigation involving the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Nash and Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Offices, and the Tarboro and Rocky Mount Police Departments.
Just days later, on June 6, 2023, law enforcement descended on Butler’s residence armed with a search warrant. What they found was a fully-fledged narcotics operation. Investigators seized cocaine, methamphetamine, psilocin, and a significant quantity of marijuana. Alongside the drugs, they uncovered over $26,000 in cash, six firearms – including four AR-style rifles, a shotgun, and a pistol – an undetermined number of unidentified pills, six digital scales, a money counter, glass pipes, and even counterfeit currency. Butler confessed to dealing marijuana following his arrest, but was initially released on bond.
But the investigation didn’t stop there. On November 29, 2023, officers executed a federal arrest warrant at a new residence linked to Butler. This search yielded an additional 15 pounds of marijuana, more cocaine, and five more firearms: a 5.56 caliber rifle, a .22 long rifle, a 10mm handgun, a 9mm handgun with a deliberately obliterated serial number, and a 50-round drum magazine. Ammunition, more counterfeit bills, scales, and pipes were also recovered. Butler once again admitted to selling marijuana.
“Narcotics, guns, and money are a recipe for disaster,” stated U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “This Tarboro drug trafficker was heavily armed, stocked with narcotics, and flush with cash when officers searched his property. Drug traffickers should take note – our partnerships in Nash and Edgecombe Counties have never been stronger and federal crimes mean federal time.”
U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle handed down the sentence following a thorough investigation led by the DEA, the Nash and Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Offices, and the Tarboro and Rocky Mount Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phil Aubart prosecuted the case. Court documents related to the case, 4:23-cr-00063-BO-RN, are available on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina website and through PACER.
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Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Weapons|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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