Four individuals have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in distributing thousands of fentanyl-laced pills in the Charlotte area, according to an announcement by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Ezekiel Lee Suber, 26, from Forest City, North Carolina, received a 10-year prison sentence and five years of supervised release. Darien Akiel Brown, 24, also from Forest City, was sentenced to 72 months in prison with four years of supervised release. Elija McDowell, 22, of Charlotte will serve 57 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. Jocelyn Marie Hamilton, 26, from Charleston, West Virginia, was sentenced to five years of probation.
Court documents indicate that between 2023 and 2024 the group operated as a drug conspiracy led by Suber. Undercover law enforcement officers made several purchases of fentanyl-laced pills from the defendants during the investigation. The pills were yellow and bore a “T-189” imprint similar to those found on 30 milligram Oxycodone Hydrochloride tablets. Court records also show that Suber was armed with a firearm during some undercover transactions.
Suber was arrested at his residence in Charlotte on February 27, 2024. A search of his home resulted in the seizure of two loaded firearms, two loaded magazines, multiple rounds of ammunition, and more than $4,200 in cash. Over the course of the investigation authorities purchased over 7,000 fentanyl-laced pills containing more than one kilogram of fentanyl from the co-conspirators.
In announcing the sentences U.S. Attorney Ferguson stated: “I commend 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 this case.
