An investigation into a Durham-based cocaine and fentanyl trafficking operation began in September 2024, and arrests followed in May 2025. Kevin Johnson was later sentenced to 17 years in federal prison.
Among those sentenced was Kevin Johnson, described by the News & Observer as a central figure in the operation and a former Bull City United violence interrupter. According to that report, Johnson was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison followed by five years of probation.
How Investigators Built the Case Against Johnson
Investigators with the Raleigh Durham Safe Streets Task Force, along with federal and local officers, surveilled Johnson from September 2024 through March 2025 as he sold cocaine and fentanyl, the News & Observer reported. The paper detailed one specific sale in September 2024, when Johnson allegedly sold about three ounces of cocaine to an undercover officer in the parking lot of a Durham pool hall. A federal judge authorized wiretaps on two of Johnson’s phones in March 2025, according to the same reporting.
Those wiretaps led investigators deeper into the supply chain. In April 2025, the wiretap extended to Khuram Choudhry after investigators identified him as Johnson’s main drug source, the News & Observer reported. Federal agents ultimately arrested Choudhry, Johnson and eight others in May 2025 on charges of participating in a conspiracy to distribute lethal drugs in North Carolina.
Drug Seizures
CBS 17 reported that FBI agents discovered 20 kilograms of cocaine they said were destined for another member of the conspiracy, and that Johnson had received a kilogram of fentanyl in early 2025 before the FBI intercepted two additional kilograms he had purchased…