17 arrested in partnership aimed at fighting drugs, illegal gun possession in Fayetteville

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Federal, county and local authorities teamed up in Fayetteville to cut down on crime.

Thursday morning, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Michael Easley said 17 people in the Fayetteville area have been indicted for illegal gun possession and drug trafficking as part of a recent safety push.

Officials said this has been an ongoing effort but this string of indictments has picked up in the past two months -- with 17 defendants now facing more than 30 federal charges. Eight of these people have been charged with trafficking fentanyl and meth.

Easley stresses that drugs and guns on the streets pose a bigger threat than ever.

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"Every young person needs to know. This is not 2008. You cannot dabble with drugs in 2023. Fentanyl is laced into everything we're seeing. The risk is tremendous. You are rolling the dice with your life," Easley said

That threat is driving Fayetteville Police Department, the Cumberland County Sheriff's and DA's offices, the ATF, the U.S. attorney's office, the U.S. Marshal and the FBI to work together in the operation.

Easley said his office is prioritizing cases involving illegal gun possession and drug trafficking for federal prosecution while placing special emphasis on organized crime and drug trafficking operations. He said the eastern district has more organized crime and drug trafficking investigations open than in the history of the office.

Meanwhile, while not all of the people associated with the recent indictments are connected, five of the defendants from the Fayetteville area have been identified as alleged members of a meth trafficking ring.

"To have a community that's vibrant, that's livable, it has to be safe and today, we are thankful that US Attorney Easley and his team in collaboration with the district attorney's office and the other federal agents mentioned today worked with us to make sure we have safer streets. These are some very dangerous weapons and I'm pleased that we're getting a lot of those things off the streets," said Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin.

Easley also said the agencies are combatting drug addiction through a task force that is allocating funds to counties to help fight addiction and support recovery.