Fayetteville-based drug ring busted; 14 nabbed, Cumberland County deputies say (2024)

by: Kathryn Hubbard, Rodney Overton

Posted: Jun 9, 2022 / 06:10 PM EDT

Updated: Jun 10, 2022 / 06:26 PM EDT

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — A Cumberland County man was sentenced to more than 23 years in prison for leading a drug trafficking organization, officials said Thursday.

Gary Jermaine Alford, 49, was sentenced in a United States Federal Courthouse on May 25 for leading a drug organization that trafficked heroin, fentanyl and cocaine in Fayetteville, according to a news release from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

The narcotics unit of the sheriff’s office began investigating Alford in January 2019 due to “heavy vehicle and foot traffic at several locations he controlled,” the news release said.

The investigation into Alford’s drug trafficking organization consisted of at least 50 operations from Jan. 2019 to Sept. 2020. Alford used multiple homes within the Deep Creek Community of East Fayetteville.

He employed multiple people to network narcotics from these locations illegally.

According to deputies, those suspects and their charges are:

• Janet Rose Alford, 66, was arrested for conspiracy/sell/deliver schedule II oxycodone;
• James Earl Bulla Jr., 45, was arrested for trafficking opium by possession, trafficking opium by manufacture, possession with intent sell deliver schedule II cocaine and maintaining a dwelling;
• Jamonica Brianne McBryde, 22, was arrested for possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine, manufacturing cocaine, maintaining a dwelling cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, human trafficking adult victim and promoting prostitution;
• Stanley Darrell McDougald, 30, was arrested for manufacture cocaine, trafficking opium or heroin (two counts) and possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine;
• James Calvin McEachern, 54, was arrested for trafficking opium or heroin (six counts), possession with intent to sell or deliver heroin (six counts), sell or deliver heroin (six counts) and deliver heroin (six counts);
• Maurice Laquan McLean, 29, was arrested for possession with intent to sell or deliver heroin (two counts), manufacture schedule heroin (two counts), sell or deliver heroin (two counts), deliver schedule heroin (two counts) and maintaining a dwelling heroin (two counts);
• Antonio Cornelius Nowell, 34, was arrested for sell or deliver heroin (six counts), maintaining a dwelling heroin (four counts), trafficking heroin (four counts), conspiracy to sell or deliver heroin, and possession of drug paraphernalia;

• Robert Lawrence Nowell V, 34, was arrested for possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver heroin (three counts), trafficking heroin (four counts), conspire to sell or deliver heroin (three counts), maintaining a dwelling heroin (four counts), sell or deliver heroin (four counts), manufacture cocaine, sell or deliver cocaine (two counts), possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver cocaine, and possess drug paraphernalia;
• Anthony Libiono Simpson, 30, was arrested for maintaining a dwelling cocaine, possession with intent to manufacture and sell or deliver cocaine (two counts);
• Wangelo Smith, 49, was arrested for possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver oxycodone and maintaining a dwelling oxycodone;
• Charles Dexter Underwood, 51, was arrested for trafficking by possession of heroin, trafficking by possession of opiates, possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine, maintaining a dwelling of heroin, cocaine and fentanyl and possess drug paraphernalia;
• Kayson Marice Whitted, 21, was arrested for maintaining a dwelling heroin, conspiracy to sell or deliver heroin, possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver heroin, sell or deliver heroin (two counts);
• Xavier Kaylon Whitted, 33, was arrested for possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine, manufacture cocaine, and maintaining a dwelling cocaine, possess drug paraphernalia, human trafficking adult victim and promote prostitution.

In Sept. 2020, the sheriff’s office, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the State Bureau of Investigation conducted six search warrants at locations used in the drug trafficking ring, officials said.

The search warrants resulted in the seizure of fentanyl, heroin, drug packaging materials, a 12
gauge shotgun and over $68,000.

Alford plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin (one kilogram or more), conspiracy to distribute cocaine (280 grams or more), conspiracy to distribute fentanyl (40 grams or more), possession with intent to distribute heroin (100 grams or more) and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl (40 grams or more).