In a Charlotte federal court today, Demetrius Lamar Mattox, identified as a local fentanyl distributor, stood before U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler and admitted to his involvement with firearms in drug trafficking activities. Mattox, aged 39, is facing a sentence which could span from a minimum of five years to life in prison, after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

A statement from U.S. Attorney Dena J. King's office notes that Mattox is currently detained by the U.S. Marshals Service as he awaits a sentencing date that is yet to be decided. The investigation that led to Mattox's guilty plea unfolded in Charlotte where he was discovered selling fentanyl and firearms to a confidential source several times over the span of two months in late 2023. Despite his guilty plea, however, a precise date for his sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.

The case against Demetrius Lamar Mattox stems from a broader effort known as Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which unites different levels of law enforcement with communities in an initiative aimed to reduce violent crime and gun violence. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina, the PSN program has been revamped with updated strategies aimed at fostering trust within communities, aiding violence prevention organizations, and enacting focused enforcement priorities while also measuring the outcomes of these efforts.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfredo De La Rosa of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte, with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Charlotte Field Division fronting the investigation. Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims of the ATF was acknowledged alongside U.S. Attorney King in the announcement of today's plea. This partnership speaks to the collaborative framework the PSN program relies on to build a safer environment for all individuals in affected neighborhoods.