Robeson County Dealer Sentenced to 25 Years After Being Found with Child Holding a Bag of Fentanyl

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Robeson County man was sentenced today to 300 months in prison for orchestrating and directing a 2020 fentanyl distribution conspiracy while in custody for multiple state charges including possession of a firearm by a felon, trafficking heroin, and discharging a weapon into an occupied property.  His role in the conspiracy continued after his release from prison and continued after his arrest. On August 22, 2022, Clarence Jamar Graham pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. During a traffic stop executed during the investigation, Graham was found in a car with a child in the backseat holding a bag of fentanyl.

“Small amounts of fentanyl can be deadly, especially for small children,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “This fentanyl dealer jeopardized the safety of the community and put a small child at risk.  We will not tolerate callous narcotics dealers who endanger the innocent.  Our message with this case is clear –distributing fentanyl in North Carolina will lead to prison.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Graham, 36, utilized co-defendant Jania Leggett to sell fentanyl on his behalf while he was serving a state prison sentence between April and September of 2020.  Witnesses reported to law enforcement that they had seen AR-15 style rifles and small children in the house that Leggett used as a hub for her fentanyl sales. 

In October of 2020, investigators learned that Graham had been released from prison and using a Lumberton area hotel for drug sales made by him and Leggett.  Lumberton Police Department detectives stopped Leggett and Graham leaving the hotel on October 13, 2020.  When detectives approached their vehicle, they observed that Leggett had a .40 caliber handgun in her lap and that there was a small child in the backseat holding a bag of fentanyl.  Detectives then searched the vehicle and a storage unit in Graham’s name and found a total of 334.98 grams of fentanyl, $46,647 in cash, an additional handgun in Leggett’s purse, and a variety of items used to package drugs for sale. 

After Graham was arrested for the traffic stop, he continued to run fentanyl sales from the Robeson County Jail.  Investigators located multiple recorded jail phone calls made in November and December of 2020 where Graham gave directions to another co-conspirator about the prices and quantities of drugs being sold.  In total, investigators determined that Graham was involved in the distribution of over 4,600 grams of fentanyl during the year 2020.

Michael Easley, 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 Lumberton Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Webb  prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:21-CR-95-D-1.

###