Armed drug trafficker in Tarboro sentenced to more than five years in prison
NEW BERN, N.C. (WNCT) — On Friday, Apr. 11, 2025, a man in Rocky Mount was sentenced to 68 months in prison for possession of a firearm to further drug trafficking and distribution of fentanyl.
Nedall Alwan, 30, pled guilty to the charges on January 14, 2025.
Court documents say that in March 2023, the Tarboro Police Department and Edgecomb Sheriff's Office received information that Alwan, who was operating a vape and tobacco store in Tarboro, was selling narcotics. Officers made three controlled purchases of 'Perc 30' pills from Alwan between Mar. 8 and Apr. 5, 2023. On Apr. 6, 2023, officers searched Alwan's vape and tobacco business and found 290 'M-30' pills that contained 30 grams of fentanyl, a 9mm rifle, and $9,533.00 in U.S. currency. A 9mm handgun was also found in Alwan's car, and additional U.S. currency was found at his home.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Enforcement, Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office, and the Tarboro and Rocky Mount Police Departments investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
More Than a Badge: The Life and Legacy of Sheriff Gene Hermes
Caldwell, TX (FOX 44) — Besides being a veteran law enforcement officer, Sheriff Gene Hermes was a man of integrity and honor who was respected by those who worked alongside him. Along with his passion for protecting his community, Sheriff Hermes was a big family man – according to Chief Deputy Bill Rios. 'He was a great man,' Chief Deputy Rios expressed. 'He loved his family, he loved his wife Sherri, and he loved his baby Caylee. He looked forward to her graduating from A&M, and he got to see her graduate, though it was on TV. But he did watch her graduate.' Sheriff Hermes always reminded his deputies of three words, which Rios and his team continue to live by. 'When he hired me, he told me he goes, Bill, he goes, 'If you do things right, legal and ethical, you won't go wrong. Things will go fine for you,'' Rios said. 'And those three words have stuck with me and they will always stick with me.' Rene Brown is a Caldwell resident who once worked with Sheriff Hermes. She says he was always connected and did his best to support the community, especially at the Chili Festival. 'I would see him in line getting a bowl of chili at a fundraiser,' Brown said. 'Even if he couldn't make it, he made sure that Sherri came and bought raffle items, raffle tickets, whatever they could do to help support.' Brown expressed to me that when she found out the news of Sheriff Hermes passing, she cried for hours. 'I couldn't believe he lost,' Brown said. 'But he's in a better place. But I'd lie to you if I said I wasn't upset that he left us. He was definitely an awesome leader.' The men and women who worked with Sheriff Gene Hermes are grieving the loss of a friend and mentor, and the hardest thing they will have to do is say their final farewells on Friday. Sheriff Gene Hermes is survived by his wife Sherri and daughter Caylee. He also leaves behind a sister, brothers, nieces, nephews, and scores of brothers and sisters in blue who wear the badge…just like he did. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
US citizen who fought for ISIS in Syria sentenced to 10 years in prison
A naturalized U.S. citizen who pleaded guilty to receiving military training from the Islamic State in Syria was sentenced on Monday to 10 years in federal prison. Lirim Sylejmani, 49, who was born in Kosovo and moved to Chicago about 25 years ago, engaged in at least one battle against U.S.-led coalition forces after he entered Syria a decade ago, according to prosecutors. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington, D.C., handed down Sylejmani's prison sentence, which will be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Sylejmani pleaded guilty in December to one count of receiving military training from a foreign terrorist organization. Federal Judge Issues $20M Verdict Against Syria For Torture Of Us Citizen Taken Captive In 2019 "This defendant will spend a decade in prison thinking about the betrayal to this country," wrote the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, also a former Fox News host. Read On The Fox News App "Anyone thinking that ISIS is the answer to their questions, best think again," she continued. "We will go to any lengths to root out subversive individuals who want to overthrow the government and harm its citizens." In November 2015, Sylejmani and his family flew to Turkey before crossing the border into Syria, where he received training with other ISIS recruits until February 2019, when he was captured with his family by Syrian forces in Baghouz, Syria, according to prosecutors. Syria Granted Sanctions Waiver By Trump Administration To Encourage Rebuilding His military training included instruction on how to assemble and fire an AK-47 rifle, as well as how to use a PK Machine gun, M-16 rifle and grenades. Sylejmani was also once injured in a battle with Syrian forces in June 2016. Prosecutors said Sylejmani, who adopted the name Abu Sulayman al-Kosovi, pledged "bayat," or allegiance, to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and to the ISIS organization in front of an Iraqi ISIS member. He was transferred to the U.S. in September 2020 to face criminal charges in Washington, D.C. "The conduct is far more than a single, impulsive act. He chose to jeopardize the safety of his family by bringing them to a war-torn country to join and take up arms for ISIS," prosecutors wrote. Sylejmani's attorneys claim he is not a "committed jihadist" and does not espouse violence. "He is guilt-ridden for his actions and the harm he has visited on his family, who remain detained in a refugee camp in Syria living under terrible conditions," his lawyers wrote. "He wishes only to complete his time and find his wife and children, so he can live an average law-abiding life with them."Original article source: US citizen who fought for ISIS in Syria sentenced to 10 years in prison
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mexican police arrest suspect in killing of five band members
Police in Mexico have detained a man known by the alias of M-47, whom they suspect of ordering the murder of members of the band Grupo Fugitivo. The bodies of four musicians from the band and their manager were discovered on Thursday in Tamaulipas state, four days after the men had been reported missing. Their relatives had reported receiving ransom demands in the days after the men's disappearance. While kidnappings for ransom are not uncommon in violence-wracked Tamaulipas, the way band members were apparently lured to an abandoned lot by their kidnappers with the promise of a gig at a private party and then killed has shocked locals, who held rallies demanding their release. Police said they arrested M-47 during raids on three properties, in which they also seized drugs, weapons, cash and suspicious vehicles and detained two other suspects. Federal officials said they suspect M-47 of being one of the bosses of a gang known as "Metros", which forms part of the Gulf Cartel. The Gulf Cartel has its stronghold in Tamaulipas state and engages in the smuggling of drugs and migrants across the US-Mexico border, as well as kidnapping for ransom. It is not clear why the members of Grupo Fugitivo were targeted. The singer - who survived because he was late on the night - told local media that his band had been hired to perform at a private party and given an address. The singer said that when he made his own way to the location they had been given to meet up with his fellow musicians, he found the address to be a vacant lot and no sign of the band members or their SUV. The band's SUV was found abandoned three days later a few kilometres away. The trailer with their instruments and sound equipment was also found dumped at another nearby location. Investigators believe the five were taken by their captors to a property, where they were killed. Grupo Fugitivo were known for playing norteña music - a genre characterised by catchy lyrics often sung to a polka-inspired rhythm - which has been targeted by criminal gangs. Some bands rely on income early in their careers from being hired to play at private parties, many of which are hosted by people involved in or with connections to the cartels. They sometimes also compose songs praising drug lords and there have been instances in the past when singers of such songs, known as "corridos" have been threatened and even killed by rival gangs. In total, 12 suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder of the members of Grupo Fugitivo so far. Five musicians murdered in suspected Mexican cartel killing Mexican band has US visas revoked for 'glorifying drug kingpin' Indigenous musicians killed in Mexico ambush
