Durham Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Kilograms of Fentanyl

GREENSBORO, N.C. - On February 23, 2026, Kevin Johnson, age 43 of Durham, was sentenced to 204 months in prison for multiple felony drug offenses.

In October 2025, Johnson pled guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, one count of distributing cocaine, and two counts of distributing fentanyl. Johnson appeared before Judge William L. Osteen, Jr. and was also sentenced to 5 years of supervised release following his prison term.

According to evidence presented at yesterday's sentencing hearing, Johnson sold cocaine and fentanyl in Durham. He received a kilogram of fentanyl for distribution in early 2025 and purchased two additional kilograms of fentanyl that were intercepted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in May 2025 during the search of a tractor-trailer truck. Agents also recovered twenty kilograms of cocaine destined for another member of the conspiracy. Johnson was employed by Bull City United from June 2023 to January 2024.

Dan Bishop, United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, made the announcement and thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation and partner agencies for their work that led to the seizure and prosecution. Bishop said, "Kevin Johnson held himself out as someone who cared about his community but then sold poison in that same community. We will continue to address the scourge of fentanyl through federal prosecution."

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The HSTF agencies involved in this case include agents and officers from FBI Raleigh Durham Safe Streets Task Force, Durham County Sheriff's Office, Chapel Hill Police Department, Durham Police Department, NC DAC Special Operations and Intelligence Unit, NC State Bureau of Investigation, Wake County Sheriff's Office, and Homeland Security Investigations.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole R. DuPré and Eric L. Iverson.

###