RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced RASHEEM KIREEM HICKS, 41, of Fayetteville, to 78 months’ imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

Hicks was named in an indictment filed on August 8, 2018 charging him with Possession of a Firearm by a Felon and Possession With Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Cocaine Base (crack) on December 29, 2017.  On July 10, 2019, HICKS, pled guilty to both charges.

According to the investigation, on December 21, 2017, the Fayetteville Police Department (FPD) received information related to drug trafficking activities occurring at a residence in Fayetteville. During the investigation, the FPD discovered that HICKS lived at the residence where drugs were being distributed.  Furthermore, HICKS had an arrest warrant for a violation of a domestic violence protection order.

On December 29, 2017, the FPD attempted to serve the arrest warrant on HICKS at his residence.  Upon approaching the home, law enforcement detected an odor of marijuana coming from within the residence. HICKS was present and detained.  A search warrant was obtained for HICKS’ residence.  The search of HICKS’ residence revealed a stolen, loaded .40 caliber handgun, digital scales with cocaine residue, a marijuana grinder, 1 Oxycodone pill, 13 grams of crack cocaine, 0.5 gram of cocaine, 2.2 grams of marijuana, $1,123 in U.S. currency, and various drug paraphernalia.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   Since 2017, the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.  This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.  For more information about this initiative click here:  https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Fayetteville Police Department (FPD) investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Daniel W. Smith prosecuted the case for the government.