Description: Milmington, North Carolina criminal defense lawyer represented defendant charged with distribution of approximately five kilograms of methamphetamine, two and a half kilograms of cocaine, more than 390 grams of heroin and 160 grams of fentanyl.

Evidence presented in court and other documents, from December 2019, up to and including January 2020, the United States Postal Service (USPS) seized two packages each containing one pound of methamphetamine, and one package containing half a kilogram of cocaine addressed to addresses associated with Jonathan Pak, age 36, of Craven County. Additionally, ATF agents discovered that Pak had received 34 packages from October 2018 until January 2020 to various addresses.

On January 20, 2021, Craven County Sheriff’s Deputies and New Bern Police Detectives, working with ATF, made a controlled purchase from Pak of 16 grams of heroin in the Academy Sports parking lot in New Bern, North Carolina. On January 26, 2021, Detectives made a traffic stop of Pak following a sale Pak made of a quantity of heroin in the Lowe’s Home Improvement parking lot in New Bern. Law enforcement recovered more than 900 grams of methamphetamine, 160 grams of fentanyl and more than 100 grams of heroin.

This is part of operation “Fighting Jelly Fish” which is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Homeland Security, United States Postal Service, the Craven and Onslow County Sheriffs’ Office and the New Bern and Kinston Police Departments investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case.

Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to 216 months' in prison.

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