In a recent development out of Raleigh, a man has been handed a hefty 15-year federal sentence following his guilty plea for trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Joshua McClain, a 31-year-old Raleigh resident, was sentenced after drugs were discovered stashed ingeniously inside the lining of an ironing board at a Cary hotel, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. McClain had been under surveillance since January 2024 when law enforcement suspected drug activity at a Raleigh motel. Following McClain’s release on bond, he returned to his shady dealings at the Cary hotel.
“Fentanyl traffickers take lives across our communities, and dealers like McClain – who repeatedly return to this trade – fuel that crisis,” U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle commented. This case showcases the multi-agency effort to clamp down on drug proliferation, with a confluence of departments including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Cary Police Department, the Holly Springs Police Department, and the Raleigh Police Department playing part in the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Aria Q. Merle led the prosecution.
A traffic stop involving McClain after he left the motel enabled officers to not only confirm his identity but also discover marijuana, various drug paraphernalia, and a sum of cash. McClain’s temporary absence from the drug scene was cut short after his release on bond, leading hotel staff to the narcotics hidden in his Cary hotel room during an inspection, nestled away in an ironing board…