Man Sentenced to Seven Years for Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense

RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that in federal court, United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced AKEEM TERON FLOOD, 27, of Durham, North Carolina, to 84 months’ imprisonment, followed by a 5 year term of supervised released.

On December 19, 2018, FLOOD was named in a four-count Indictment and, on April, 2019, FLOOD pled guilty to Count Four, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. 

In April 2018, Raleigh Police Department (RPD) conducted a controlled purchase of cocaine base (crack) from FLOOD outside his residence in Raleigh.  A search warrant was subsequently obtained and executed at FLOOD’s residence in Raleigh on April 21, 2018.  The search resulted in the seizure of more than 150 grams of marijuana, more than 22 grams of cocaine, drug paraphernalia, over $5,500 in U.S. currency, ammunition, and a loaded .380 caliber pistol. 

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Since 2017 the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime. 

That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices in those communities on a sustained basis to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.  For more information about this initiative click here:  https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc. 

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Raleigh Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  Assistant United States Attorney Bryan M. Stephany prosecuted the case for the government.