Raleigh drug ringleader convicted at federal guns and drugs trial

Date: Sept. 4, 2026

Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov

Raleigh, NC – A federal jury convicted a Raleigh man after three days of trial on nine counts for fentanyl and five counts for possessing a firearm stemming from his role directing a major fentanyl‑trafficking operation.

“This thug had a long history of pushing venomous poison and despite being locked up in the past, he immediately went back to his dirty work, orchestrating a violent drug‑peddling enterprise from right here in Raleigh, pumping our community full of deadly fentanyl, all while using illegal guns,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “Working with a collaboration of men and women from local, state, and federal law enforcement, we dismantled his operation, seized his poison and guns, and removed him off our streets. This verdict delivers a clear message: Drugs destroy lives, and prison awaits—choose the right path.” 

Isiah Naaquan Weeks ran a drug‑trafficking operation that pushed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills from California and Arizona into Eastern North Carolina. He and his crew crisscrossed the country to grab massive loads of fentanyl, shipped those pills into Wake County, and flooded Raleigh with them. Investigators uncovered high‑volume deliveries, coordinated communications, and nonstop dealing from 2022 until Weeks’ arrest in 2024. Weeks constantly carried guns to assist his drug dealing and kept selling even as his associates were arrested with thousands of pills. When an associate was caught with one hundred thousand fentanyl pills tied to him, Weeks panicked and googled ‘Best place to live for Americans in Mexico’ and ‘no extradition countries’ just days before his arrest.

“Holding a drug dealer accountable for his dangerous and careless crimes sends a powerful message to anyone that threatens our public safety,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Alicia Jones. “ATF and our law enforcement partners will use every resource we have available to pull the plug on violent criminal networks.”

“The Raleigh Police Department extends its sincere gratitude to the exceptional public safety partners whose dedication, professionalism, and commitment throughout this case exemplify the very best of collaboration in modern law enforcement. Alongside our officers and detectives, their teamwork, coordination, and shared expertise were instrumental in advancing this investigation and furthering our collective mission to protect and serve our community. We are especially grateful for the strong partnership between the Raleigh Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The coordination and teamwork demonstrated throughout this investigation reflect the shared commitment of local, state, and federal agencies to working together to uphold justice and keep our community safe.”

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. 

Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III accepted the jury’s verdict. IRS – Criminal Investigation, the ATF, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Raleigh Police Department collaborated on this multi-year investigation.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 16 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.