WILMINGTON – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced CHARLES EDWARD HARRINGTON 34, of Wilmington to 96 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
HARRINGTON was named in an indictment filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina on February 13, 2019, charging him with possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine base (crack). On June 11, 2019, HARRINGTON pled guilty to that charge.
On December 22, 2018, investigators assigned to the Mobile Field Force task force with the Wilmington Police Department in Wilmington, North Carolina were patrolling in the area of Rankin Street, Wilmington when they observed HARRINGTON. HARRINGTON had an active warrant for his arrest and law enforcement placed HARRINGTON under arrest. During the course of the arrest, officers discovered a bag of cocaine base (crack) in HARRINGTON’s pocket. HARRINGTON has an extensive history of narcotics related convictions and offenses in New Hanover County.
This case is part of a Federal Bureau of Investigation Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force operation “Tooth Fairy” with cooperation from the Wilmington Police Department and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office. This operation is focused on a drug trafficking organization operating in the New Hanover County area of North Carolina.
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. 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.
The FBI, Wilmington Police Department and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case. Special Assistant United States Attorney Murphy Averitt prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. Mr. Averitt is a prosecutor with the Prosecutorial District 6 District Attorney’s Office encompassing New Hanover County. District Attorney Ben David has assigned him to the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force criminal matters.