Raleigh Man and Durham Woman Charged with Fentanyl Conspiracy; Man Also Charged with Firearms Offenses

RALEIGH – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that today, a federal grand jury has issued an indictment charging THORNTON LEWIS WATSON, IV, 24, of Raleigh and SHANTEVIA FAITH EVANS, 26, of Durham, with federal crimes.  This operation was conducted as part of the Eastern District’s Take Back North Carolina Initiative, which is designed to target firearms- and opioid-related crimes through partnerships with the Wake County District Attorney’s Office and federal, state, and local law enforcement.

WATSON and EVANS were both charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 4-Fluoroisobutyryl Fentanyl and Marijuana (Count One).

Additionally, WATSON was charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute 4-Fluoroisobutyryl Fentanyl (Count Two); Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana (Count Four); and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime (Counts Three and Five).

The charges and allegations contained in the Indictment are merely accusations.  The defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

The Wake County Board of Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) conducted the criminal investigation of this case.