The fentanyl pills were disguised as Oxycodone, over a kilogram was sold on streets
Ezekiel Suber, 26, Darien Brown, 24, Elija McDowell, 22, and Jocelyn Hamilton, 26, were all involved in a fentanyl drug dealing ring in Charlotte, NC. On November 19, 2025 they were given prison sentences. They sold thousands of fentanyl pills.
Between 2023 and 2024, the defendants, led by Ezekiel operated as a drug conspiracy that trafficked fentanyl in Charlotte and elsewhere.
Undercover law enforcement officers made multiple purchases of fentanyl laced pills from the suspects. The pills were yellow in color and had a “T-189” imprint, which is the same as the color and imprint of a 30 milligram Oxycodone Hydrochloride tablet.
In February 2024, law enforcement arrested the suspects. During a subsequent police search of a residence stash house maintained by the suspects, cops seized two loaded firearms, two loaded magazines, multiple rounds of ammunition, and more than $4,200 in U.S. currency.
Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement purchased over 7,000 fentanyl laced pills from the suspects containing over a kilogram of fentanyl.
In 2025 Ezekiel was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Darien was sentenced to 72 months in prison and four years of supervised release. Elija was ordered to serve 57 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release, and Jocelyn was sentenced to five years of probation.
