Charlotte Fentanyl Trafficker Is Sentenced To Prison

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced today that Antonio Lamar Stukes, 33, of Charlotte, was ordered to serve 61 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for trafficking fentanyl, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, 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 court proceedings, in October 2022, law enforcement learned that Stukes was trafficking fentanyl in and around the Charlotte area. Law enforcement initiated an investigation into Stukes. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement arranged several controlled buys of fentanyl from the Stukes. The investigation of Stukes led to the identification of his supplier and several additional co-conspirators. Stukes has a lengthy criminal history, including a 2014 federal conviction in the Western District of North Carolina for possession of a firearm by a felon.

On January 25, 2024, Stukes pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl and aiding and abetting.

In making today's announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the FBI, the ATF, and CMPD for their investigation of the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfredo De La Rose of 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.