Philadelphia Fentanyl Trafficker Is Sentenced To 12 ½ Years In Prison

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Today, Jomeir Zakied McCutchen, 27, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 150 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join U.S. Attorney King in making today's announcement.

According to court documents and the sentencing hearing, on October 10, 2022, at approximately 5:46 p.m., a CMPD officer was at a Quick Trip ("QT") gas station in Charlotte, when he observed an individual, later identified as McCutchen, engage in a hand-to-hand drug transaction. Specifically, the officer observed an individual hand McCutchen U.S. currency in exchange for a clear bag containing suspected narcotics. Court records show that when McCutchen saw the officer he quickly walked into the QT and then was picked up at a side door of the store by a juvenile female, who drove away from the gas station in a white SUV at a high rate of speed. The officer followed McCutchen and attempted to conduct a traffic stop but the juvenile driver did not obey and drove away. A little while later, the officer located the unoccupied white SUV parked in the parking lot of an apartment complex. While looking through the vehicle's windows, the officer observed in plain view drugs and drug paraphernalia, including digital scales. Law enforcement conducted a search of the vehicle, seizing a bag containing more than 12 grams of fentanyl. The officers also located identifying documents in the vehicle in the name of the defendant. Further investigation revealed that McCutchen was a convicted felon on parole in Pennsylvania.

According to court records, on October 11, 2022, law enforcement located McCutchen at a gas station in Charlotte. Law enforcement observed McCutchen exit the gas station and approach a red vehicle. CMPD Officers attempted to stop McCutchen, but the defendant fled on foot, dropping a black pistol to the ground as he ran off. McCutchen was arrested and detained. Law enforcement searched the red vehicle and seized over 83 grams of methamphetamine. Law enforcement also recovered the discarded firearm and determined it was loaded with a round in the chamber.

On February 21, 2024, McCutchen pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. McCutchen is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

In imposing the sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth D. Bell noted that prior convictions and probation from other courts had not deterred the defendant.

U.S. Attorney King thanked the ATF and CMPD for their investigation of the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Gleason with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.