An individual from Charlotte has been sentenced to over 11 years in prison for selling a machinegun conversion device and possessing thousands of fentanyl pills. Jalein Young, 27, received a sentence of 138 months in prison and five years of supervised release, according to Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, joined Ferguson in announcing the sentence.
Court documents show that Young sold a Glock model 19 pistol equipped with a conversion device known as a “Glock switch” to an undercover law enforcement agent in 2024. This device converted the semiautomatic firearm into one capable of fully automatic fire. In March 2024, Young agreed to sell 5,000 fentanyl pills to an undercover agent. Authorities intercepted Young and found more than 5,000 pills in his vehicle; laboratory analysis confirmed they contained at least 504 grams of fentanyl. Investigators also found another 1,532 pills weighing about 358 grams in Young’s garage.
Later that month, Young contacted the undercover agent again and offered to sell an additional 4,000 fentanyl pills. He was arrested in May 2024 while attempting to leave the country on a one-way flight to the Dominican Republic.
Young pleaded guilty to charges related to transferring a machinegun and possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute. He is currently held by federal authorities and will be transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The ATF led the investigation into this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted it.
