ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — An Elizabeth City man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for distributing drugs and the subsequent overdose death of a woman.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Michael Easley, announced on Monday that 39-year-old Tyrese Stokley of Elizabeth City was sentenced to 240 months or 20 years in prison for distributing heroin, fentanyl and cocaine in the Elizabeth City area.
On March 1, 2020, the Currituck Sheriff's Office started investigating the fentanyl overdose death of a young woman. Their investigation revealed that Stokley was responsible for sourcing the drugs that were distributed to the woman which caused her death on February 29, 2020.
According to court documents, the Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Elizabeth City Police Department, the Dare County Sheriff's Office, the Kill Devil Hills Police Department, Nags Head Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted controlled purchases of heroin and cocaine from Stockley.
Altogether it was found he was responsible for distributing 59.99 grams of cocaine, 0.2 grams of fentanyl and 45.3 grams of heroin, officials said.
“Fentanyl overdoses are ravaging our communities and driving down American life expectancy. Drug dealers lacing fentanyl into their products should take note. The party is over, we are coming for you,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.
“The defendant’s actions, which directly resulted in the tragic overdose death, show a blatant disregard for human life. Individuals should be on notice that we will stop at nothing to bring those responsible for perpetuating this overdose crisis to justice.”
