Leader Of Heroin Trafficking Organization
2017-02-01 · Press release
An investigation by federal and state law enforcement agencies revealed that BOONE operated a large scale drug trafficking organization (“DTO”) in his hometown of Paterson, NJ, which BOONE relocated to Wilmington, NC around 2012. From 2012 to 2015, the DTO “flooded” Wilmington with kilogram quantities of heroin. Couriers were employed to transport the heroin and heroin proceeds between New Jersey and Wilmington. The DTO utilized multiple bank accounts, wire transfers, and prepaid debit cards to launder hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds.
Multiple co-conspirators were charged and have already been sentenced in federal court in connection with this prosecution:
AARON VEAL was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin and sentenced to 60 months imprisonment. JAMES TOWNSEND was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin and sentenced to 84 months imprisonment. CRAIG DENSON was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin and sentenced to 180 months imprisonment. LARRY K. JOHNSON was convicted of money laundering conspiracy and sentenced to 96 months imprisonment. CHRISTOPHER ANTUAN JONES was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin and sentenced to 105 months imprisonment. DANIELLE JONES was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin and sentenced to 78 months imprisonment. SYRJAH KASHIK ALSTON was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin and money laundering conspiracy and sentenced to 96 months imprisonment. TAKEYAH ONI BAKER was convicted of money laundering conspiracy and sentenced to 42 months imprisonment. OCTABIA LAUREN BOONE was convicted of money laundering conspiracy and sentenced to 42 months imprisonment. FELICIA HALL was convicted of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and sentenced to 3 years probation.
This case was brought as a part of an Organized Crime Drug
Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Operation entitled WoofPack,
investigating importers and multi-level distributors of heroin,
cocaine, crack cocaine and gang activity associated with this
DTO.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Wilmington Safe Streets Task Force, the Wilmington Police Department, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Toby Lathan handled the prosecution on behalf of the Eastern District of North Carolina.
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- https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/leader-heroin-trafficking-organization
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| participant_id | name | role | title | organization | location | age | nationality | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2508 | ROBERT BOONE | defendant | Leland, North Carolina | 43 | sentenced | |||
| 2509 | AARON VEAL | defendant | sentenced | |||||
| 2510 | JAMES TOWNSEND | defendant | sentenced | |||||
| 2511 | CRAIG DENSON | defendant | sentenced | |||||
| 2512 | LARRY K. JOHNSON | defendant | sentenced | |||||
| 2513 | CHRISTOPHER ANTUAN JONES | defendant | sentenced | |||||
| 2514 | DANIELLE JONES | defendant | sentenced | |||||
| 2515 | SYRJAH KASHIK ALSTON | defendant | sentenced | |||||
| 2516 | TAKEYAH ONI BAKER | defendant | sentenced | |||||
| 2517 | OCTABIA LAUREN BOONE | defendant | sentenced | |||||
| 2518 | FELICIA HALL | defendant | sentenced | |||||
| 2519 | Toby Lathan | prosecutor | Assistant United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | Eastern District of North Carolina |
| agency_id | agency_name | abbreviation | role | office_location | agents_mentioned | contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1589 | Federal Bureau of Investigation | FBI | investigation | Wilmington Safe Streets Task Force | Part of the investigation into the DTO's heroin trafficking and money laundering activities | |
| 1590 | Wilmington Police Department | investigation | Contributed to the investigation of the DTO's operations in Wilmington, NC | |||
| 1591 | New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office | investigation | New Hanover County | Assisted in the investigation of the DTO's activities | ||
| 1592 | North Carolina State Highway Patrol | investigation | Supported the investigation into the DTO's operations | |||
| 1593 | Sampson County Sheriff’s Office | investigation | Sampson County | Participated in the investigation of the DTO | ||
| 1594 | Virginia State Police | investigation | Contributed to the multi-state investigation of the DTO | |||
| 1595 | U.S. Attorney’s Office | prosecution | Eastern District of North Carolina | Toby Lathan | Handled the prosecution of the case on behalf of the Eastern District of North Carolina |
| charge_id | charge_description | statute | severity | max_penalty | fine_amount | defendant | status | participant_id | cl_docket_id | count_num | is_1960 | verified_1960 | source | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300 | conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin | ROBERT BOONE | convicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 1301 | conspiracy to launder monetary instruments | ROBERT BOONE | convicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 1302 | conspiracy to distribute heroin | AARON VEAL | convicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 1303 | conspiracy to distribute heroin | JAMES TOWNSEND | convicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 1304 | conspiracy to distribute heroin | CRAIG DENSON | convicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 1305 | money laundering conspiracy | LARRY K. JOHNSON | convicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 1306 | conspiracy to distribute heroin | CHRISTOPHER ANTUAN JONES | convicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 1307 | conspiracy to distribute heroin | DANIELLE JONES | convicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 1308 | conspiracy to distribute heroin | SYRJAH KASHIK ALSTON | convicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 1309 | money laundering conspiracy | SYRJAH KASHIK ALSTON | convicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 1310 | money laundering conspiracy | TAKEYAH ONI BAKER | convicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 1311 | money laundering conspiracy | OCTABIA LAUREN BOONE | convicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 1312 | operating an unlicensed money transmitting business | FELICIA HALL | convicted | 1 | enrichment | 2026-09-16T19:46:00+00:00 | ||||||||
| 3384 | operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and sentenced to 3 years probation | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:46:00+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 3385 | unlicensed money transmitting business and sentenced to 3 years probation | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:46:00+00:00 |
| fin_id | action_type | amount | currency | description | asset_type | defendant | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1294 | forfeiture | $250,000 | USD | proceeds from the drug trafficking organization | cash | ROBERT BOONE | ordered |
| victim_id | victim_type | description | number_affected | loss_amount | geographic_scope | vulnerability_factors | impact_description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 674 | individual | residents of Wilmington | Wilmington, NC | flooded with kilogram quantities of heroin |
| quote_id | quote_text | speaker_name | speaker_title | speaker_organization | quote_type | context | significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2631 | flooded | null | null | null | statement | describing the scale of heroin distribution in Wilmington | indicates the severity and impact of the drug trafficking operation |
| theme_id | theme_name | description | significance | related_statutes | geographic_scope | temporal_aspects | stakeholders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1807 | Heroin Trafficking | BOONE's DTO distributed kilogram quantities of heroin from 2012-2015, relocating operations from Paterson, NJ to Wilmington, NC and using couriers to transport drugs and proceeds. | Core criminal activity fueling the case, demonstrating large-scale drug distribution impacting multiple jurisdictions. | 21 U.S.C. § 846 | National | 2012-2015 | Law enforcement, Victims, Communities |
| 1808 | Money Laundering | DTO used bank accounts, wire transfers, and prepaid debit cards to launder hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds. | Critical component of concealing illicit profits and sustaining drug operations. | 18 U.S.C. § 1960 | National | 2012-2015 | Financial institutions, Law enforcement |
| 1809 | Organized Crime Task Forces | Case prosecuted under OCDETF WoofPack operation targeting multi-level drug distributors and associated gang activity. | Demonstrates coordinated federal/state law enforcement strategy against organized crime. | National | Federal Bureau of Investigation, Local Police Departments, Prosecutors | ||
| 1810 | Co-Conspirator Sentencing | Multiple co-defendants received prison terms ranging from 42 to 180 months for roles in drug distribution and money laundering. | Highlights extensive network and systemic nature of the DTO's operations. | 21 U.S.C. § 846, 18 U.S.C. § 1960 | National | Judiciary, Co-conspirators, Prosecution | |
| 1811 | Gang Activity | DTO operations included gang-related criminal activity investigated as part of the OCDETF operation. | Indicates organized criminal enterprise structure and associated violent crime risks. | National | Law enforcement, Gang members, Communities | ||
| 1812 | Cross-Border Drug Operations | DTO transported heroin and proceeds between New Jersey and North Carolina. | Illustrates interstate drug trafficking patterns requiring multi-jurisdictional response. | 21 U.S.C. § 846 | National | 2012-2015 | Law enforcement agencies, Transportation sectors |
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