A Whitakers man was sentenced today in Wilmington to 150 months in prison and three years of supervised release for distribution of a quantity of heroin and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. 

According to a press statement from office of North Carolina Eastern District United States Attorney Michael Easley, court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, Tony Darrel Pittman, 42, was named in an indictment filed on June 23 of last year which charged him with distribution of a quantity of fentanyl and a quantity of crack in count 1; distribution of a quantity of heroin in counts 2 and 3; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in count 4. 

He entered a guilty plea to counts 3 and 4.

In May of 2020, the Nash County Sheriff’s Office received information that Pittman was distributing various controlled substances in the area of Rocky Mount.

Over the next several months, agents investigated the defendant, and from May through September, a confidential source conducted controlled purchases of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack from the defendant. He also sold a .22-caliber revolver to the confidential source.

On July 13 when officers attempted to arrest Pittman, he attempted to flee and attempted to assault the officer with a broom handle.

Based on information from various sources, Pittman was held responsible for distributing a quantity of fentanyl, almost 2 kilograms of heroin, more than 2 kilograms of cocaine, and more than 700 grams of crack.

Assistant United States Attorney Scott A. Lemmon prosecuted the case.