A Fayetteville man, believed to be the leader of a drug trafficking organization that distributed thousands of pounds of high-grade marijuana in the city, was sentenced last week to 30 years in prison on drug trafficking and firearms charges, according to the North Carolina Department of Justice.
Terrence Michael Pittman, 29, pleaded guilty May 24, 2023, to conspiracy to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In addition to the active prison sentence Pittman received on Aug. 20, he will also serve five years of probation upon his release, the record shows. In exchange for the plea, eight related charges were dismissed.
A news release from the office of U.S. Attorney Michael Easley Jr. stated that Pittman, a Fayetteville Blood gang member and believed leader of a United Nation Blood gang subset, distributed thousands of pounds of high-grade marijuana.
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According to the release, the Fayetteville Police Department began investigating Pittman after learning he was receiving as much as 100 pounds of marijuana at a time and keeping it at a Fayetteville residence.
After watching Pittman's home, law enforcement officials observed people delivering large duffel bags believed to contain marijuana, the release said.
An individual associated with Pittman was stopped by police in October 2019 after leaving Pittman's home, which led to the seizure of more than $165,000, according to the release. Law enforcement also seized 141 pounds of marijuana from a vehicle leaving Pittman's home a month later, the release said.
Investigators wiretapped Pittman's phone for three months in 2020, according to the release, and learned that he operated three stash houses used to store and distribute drugs in Fayetteville, according to the Department of Justice. The release said Pittman was heard during intercepted phone calls attempting to purchase "hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of marijuana at a time" from suppliers in Charlotte, California, Washington, D.C. and New York.
In the intercepted calls, Pittman also stated that he made $1,000 for every pound of marijuana he sold, the release states.
Investigators conducted searches of all three stash houses in Fayetteville and at Pittman's primary home in Clayton on Nov. 12, 2020. Law enforcement seized $100,000 in cash, about $300,000 in gold and diamond jewelry, more than 90 pounds of marijuana, four 9mm handguns, a 7.62-caliber rifle with a large capacity magazine and a 7.62-caliber pistol, from the homes, according to the release.
Several other individuals related to Pittman's drug trafficking organization have also been convicted since Pittman's Aug. 20 sentencing, according to the Department of Justice.
Public safety reporter Joseph Pierre can be reached at jpierre@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: A Fayetteville man, and leader of Blood gang subset, sentenced to 30 years in federal prison
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