Daryl Cromartie, a 32-year-old resident of Wilmington, North Carolina, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. The charges against him include possession of a firearm by a felon and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and phencyclidine (PCP). Cromartie pled guilty to these charges on February 27, 2024.
The investigation into Cromartie's activities began in February 2023. The Wilmington Police Department (WPD), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office (NHCSO) collaborated on this case. They used confidential informants to purchase narcotics from Cromartie between February 23 and July 14, 2023. These transactions mostly took place outside his residence in Wilmington after communication via cellphone.
On July 17, 2023, the FBI executed a search warrant at Cromartie's home. During the search, he admitted there were controlled substances, a handgun, and cash present. Law enforcement officers confiscated several items from a safe in his master bedroom: 8.01 grams of cocaine, 42.8 grams of crack cocaine, 55.2 grams of heroin/fentanyl, 37.2 grams of marijuana, a digital scale, $4,360 in U.S. currency and a loaded 9mm handgun.
Michael F. Easley Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced the sentencing following proceedings by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The case was investigated by the FBI along with WPD and NHCSO and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonard Champaign.