A Raleigh man will make a second appearance in Northampton County District Court next month after a preliminary appearance Thursday on charges he trafficked over a pound of heroin-fentanyl and just over 2 pounds of cocaine through the county.
Captain Patrick Jacobs said 46-year-old Kenneth Lassiter was passing through Northampton County last Wednesday when he was stopped for speeding on Interstate 95 near Garysburg.
Members of the sheriff’s office and the Down East Drug Task Force made the stop and Lassiter presented a fake ID card to conceal his identity.
Because reasonable suspicion of criminal activity was developed, a canine was deployed. The canine alerted to the presence of narcotics.
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The search of the vehicle revealed over a pound of heroin/fentanyl and about 2.2 pounds of cocaine hidden inside the Ram truck he was driving.
The heroin-fentanyl was packaged for individual sale in approximately 17,000 dosage units with a street value of $51,000 and the cocaine was valued at $40,000.
Lassiter was charged with two counts of trafficking heroin, two counts trafficking cocaine, a count of possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine, a count of possession with intent to sell or deliver heroin, a count of possession of marijuana up to one-half ounce, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while license revoked, and a count of identity theft.
Jacobs said there is the possibility the case could go to the federal court system.
“I am very proud of the dedication shown by the members of the sheriff’s office and the Down East Drug Task Force,” Sheriff Jack Smith said. “They have kept extremely dangerous drugs from reaching our streets. Heroin, which is typically laced with fentanyl, has become an epidemic in America and is killing our citizens.”
