Raleigh Man Convicted for Heroin Overdose Death

Raleigh, NC – The U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorney's Office announce the successful prosecution of a Raleigh man for Distribution of Heroin and Fentanyl Resulting in Death, Conspiracy to Distribute and Posses with the Intent to Distribute one Kilogram or more of Heroin. Jason McNeil, 28, was found guilty following a four-day jury trial in U.S. District Court.

The investigation into McNeil and co-defendant Destin McLean began in May 2018 when the Wake County Sheriff's Office responded to a possible drug overdose in Raleigh. Once it was determined the overdose and subsequent death was related to Fentanyl, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina adopted the investigation and pushed forward to expose the full extent of McNeil and McLean's narcotics distribution. Prior to being appointed as the U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Michael East worked in the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office and helped lead this investigation.

In late March 2019, the case was presented to a federal grand jury and warrants were obtained for McNeil and McLean. The Marshals Service was tasked with arresting McLean and he was located in Durham, NC, on March 26; McNeil was already in custody in a local jail on other charges. McNeil faces at least twenty years and up to life imprisonment when he is sentenced later this year. McLean pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute one Kilogram of Heroin prior to McNeil's trial and will be sentenced at a later date.