Raleigh Drug Trafficker Sentenced to More Than 16 Years in Federal Prison

NEW BERN, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced yesterday to 195 months in prison for Distribution of cocaine base (crack).  On February 24, 2021, Needham Holder, III pled guilty to the charge.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Needham Holder, III, 33, distributed in excess of 18 kilograms of cocaine base (crack) in the Raleigh area from November 2017 until his arrest on June 8, 2019. Due to a significant criminal record, Holder qualified for sentencing as a career offender. Holder’s prior convictions include possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine, assault inflicting serious injury, selling a controlled substance within 1000 feet of a park, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. 

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Raleigh Police Department and The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Newby, Jr. prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-416-FL.