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Drug Operation Leader Sentenced to 22 Years in Federal Prison

Donnie Dontez Jeffreys received a 22-year prison sentence following a federal drug trafficking investigation in North Carolina.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 8:47 a.m. ET
According to official court records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, 35-year-old Donnie Dontez Jeffreys was on August 7, 2026, to 22 years in federal prison. On May 12, 2026, Jeffreys pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 11 pounds or more of cocaine, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and possessing with intent to distribute cocaine. Investigators identified Jeffreys in February 2024 as the leader of a drug trafficking organization distributing cocaine, powder fentanyl, and pressed fentanyl pills. Search warrants executed at stash houses uncovered a freight shipment containing 52 pounds of cocaine concealed in desk chair boxes, more than 33 pounds of fentanyl pills and over 35 pounds of cocaine in a duffle bag, $400,000 in cash from a car outside, as well as additional cocaine, marijuana, and 32 weapons. U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan pronounced the sentence under court case number . Following the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle stated, "Donnie Jeffreys traded human lives for drug money, poisoning our streets with fentanyl and cocaine." Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division, noted that law enforcement partners dismantled a significant drug trafficking operation. Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe also highlighted the value of strong partnerships among agencies. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, State Bureau of Investigation, Wake County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Raleigh Police Department, and Wake Forest Police Department.

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  1. Version 120 Aug 2026, 12:47current

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