Taurean Edward Farrior Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison

WILMINGTON – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that in federal court, United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced TAUREAN EDWARD FARRIOR, 35, of Wilmington to 144 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.

FARRIOR was named in an Indictment filed on April 4, 2019 charging him with possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine base (crack); two counts of distribution of a quantity of heroin; distribution of a quantity of fentanyl; and possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and a quantity of heroin.  On September 24, 2019, FARRIOR pled guilty to distribution of a quantity of heroin and possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and a quantity of heroin.

According to the investigation, on May 19, 2017, investigators in Wayne County detected the odor of marijuana emanating from a vehicle parked at a gas station in Goldsboro.  The vehicle belonged to FARRIOR.  A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed almost one ounce of crack cocaine, a quantity of marijuana, and approximately $1,300.00 cash.  The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Department conducted four (4) controlled purchases of heroin/fentanyl mixtures from FARRIOR between August 2018 and December 2018.  On January 10, 2019, law enforcement stopped FARRIOR for a traffic violation on Highway 74 in Leland, NC and investigators found him in possession of cocaine and marijuana.  A subsequent search of FARRIOR’s residence in Wilmington, NC located multiple bindles of a heroin/fentanyl mixture.  At sentencing, FARRIOR was found to be accountable for the distribution of approximately 4.5 kilograms of cocaine, as well as quantities of crack cocaine and a heroin/fentanyl mixture between January 2016 and January 2019.  

This case is part of 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 on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, Brunswick County Sheriff’s Department, and Wayne County Sheriff’s Department participated in the investigation.  Special Assistant United States Attorney Murphy Averitt represented the government.