A Goldsboro resident, Arraqib Hardy, 33, was handed a 7-year federal prison sentence this past Thursday for his involvement in drug trafficking and illegal firearms possession, an incident tied to a broader crackdown on high-level criminal activity.
Hardy, who was already under the watchful eye of federal supervision due to prior convictions, pled guilty on December 16, 2024, admits to carrying a firearm as part of his drug trafficking operations. On top of a 5-year sentence for the firearm possession, he has been ordered to serve an additional 2 years for the offense which occurred while he was on federal supervised release for prior, related convictions including possessing a stolen firearm and discharging a firearm in a school zone, both of which he aided and abetted, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.
Law enforcement officials focused on Hardy following suspicious activity at a Goldsboro convenience store parking lot on June 15, 2023. The surveillance, intended to dismantle local drug trafficking, led to Hardy's arrest after he appeared to engage in drug transactions. Upon arrest, authorities discovered a loaded 9mm handgun, quantifiable amounts of marijuana and fentanyl, as well as $365 in cash on him.
The investigation, part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, targets the most dangerous players in drug trafficking, money laundering, and organized crime by combining efforts from various levels of law enforcement. A member of the United Blood Nation gang, Hardy, was no stranger to the legal system, possessing prior convictions such as discharging a weapon into an occupied or moving vehicle in 2013, according to the same Department of Justice statement.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Daniel P. Bubar announced the sentence, which was handed down by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Goldsboro Police Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo leading the prosecution.
