Fayetteville Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Drug and Firearm Charges

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Fayetteville man was sentenced today to 168 months in prison for Cocaine Base (Crack) and Firearm violations.

According to court documents, Elbert Tojuan McNeill, 40, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 280 Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), Possession with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Cocaine Base (Crack), and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime on April 20, 2020.

In January 2018, investigators with the Fayetteville Police Department (FPD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) learned that McNeill was distributing cocaine base (crack) in the Fayetteville area. Agents then conducted several controlled purchases of cocaine base (crack) from McNeill.

On February 6, 2019, agents executed a search warrant at a residence associated with McNeill. Agents seized currency, cocaine base (crack), a stolen 9mm Glock handgun, and a stolen .40 caliber Smith & Wesson firearm.

McNeill admitted that since 2015, he had purchased more than ten kilograms of cocaine. He had then cooked it into cocaine base (crack) and sold it to customers.

Based on his criminal history, McNeill was determined to be a Career Offender.

This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.

This case is part of the United States Attorney’s Office’s Take Back North Carolina Initiative.  This initiative emphasizes the 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.  For additional information about this initiative, click here https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III.  The Fayetteville Police Department (FPD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott A. Lemmon  prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:18-CR-340-D-1.