Armed Gang Member Receives 7 Years in Federal Prison

WILMINGTON — On February 27, 2020, United States District Judge Louise Flanagan sentenced CORBIN JURAN to 84 months’ imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.  On October 7, 2019, JURAN pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute a quantity of heroin and distribution of a quantity of heroin.

In May 2019, law enforcement began an investigation of JURAN and the gang of which he was a member for the sale of narcotics and the associated violence.  The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Coastal Carolina Safe Streets Task Force which includes federal task force officers from the Wilmington Police Department and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Gang and Narcotics Detectives from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.

On May 1, 2019, Wilmington Police Department responded to a call at a motel in Wilmington.  Officers observed JURAN and a female walking from the dumpster behind the motel.  While speaking with JURAN, law enforcement confirmed that he had an active arrest warrant from Onslow County.  JURAN fled as officers attempted to pat him down for weapons.  Officers recovered a .22 revolver that had been in JURAN’s waistband and a small quantity of methamphetamine, which he had thrown down.  JURAN told law enforcement that he was a member of the Folk Nation.

On May 13, 2019, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Gang and Narcotics Units made a controlled purchase of heroin from JURAN near his residence in Wilmington.

On May 24, 2019, the Sheriff’s Office Gang and Narcotics Units received information that JURAN was going to pick up heroin from a source of supply at a mini-mart in Wilmington.  Law enforcement conducted surveillance on a car in which JURAN was a passenger.  JURAN was observed entering the store and exiting quickly after that.  New Hanover County Sheriff’s Detectives performed a traffic stop on the car and JURAN was found in possession of 500 bags containing a mixture of heroin, fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl.  JURAN told detectives that he had picked up heroin from this source multiple times over the last couple of months.

This case is part of an FBI-lead Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation entitled “Tiny Toon Adventures”.  This investigation focused on members of the United Blood Nation gang and the Folk Nation gang in Wilmington, North Carolina and their involvement with the distribution of heroin and fentanyl, and possession of firearms.

This case is also part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, which emphasizes a regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.

Through the combined effort of an OCDETF operation and the Take Back North Carolina Initiative – FBI Task Force Officers from the Wilmington Police Department were able to identify members of this violent drug gang, and then partner with the FBI and United States Attorney’s Office to develop a strategy for dismantling this organization.  Utilizing local intelligence, law enforcement was able to employ a breadth of federal government resources in order to help curb the criminal activity of this gang in Wilmington.  The success of this case would not have been possible without these partnerships.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation Coastal Carolina Safe Streets Task Force, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Gang Unit and Narcotics Unit, and the Wilmington Police Department conducted the investigation of this case.  Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.