RALEIGH, N.C. (NCN News) – A man prosecutors call a “depraved drug pusher,” has been sentenced to 35 years in a prison.
A federal judge sentenced Alexander Sandoval, 29, for trafficking large quantities of fentanyl, meth, and
Alexander Sandoval was sentenced to 35 years in prison on a series of drug charges. (photo courtesy U.S. Attorney Eastern District).
cocaine throughout the Eastern District of North Carolina. On December 12, 2025, Sandoval plead guilty to conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of meth, distributing 50 grams or more of meth, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug‑trafficking crime.
“This depraved drug pusher pumped staggering amounts of fentanyl, meth, and cocaine into our communities, hiding his poison in furniture and moving it across Eastern North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle in a press release announcing the sentencing. “Even up to the bitter end, armed with a revolver, fleeing at more than 100 miles an hour, and running from officers on foot, he refused to stop. But, in the end, he fought the law and the law won. Let this be a stark warning, we will put you in prison for decades. Simple Lesson: Drugs Kill, Prison Awaits – Do Right.”
In 2022, investigators identified Sandoval as a narcotics supplier. As they expanded their investigation, law enforcement discovered his drug‑trafficking organization hid fentanyl, meth, and cocaine inside furniture and shipped to Fayetteville. Once the shipments arrived, he directed others to retrieve the packages, dismantle the furniture, and collect the drugs for distribution. Sandoval’s operation moved approximately 79 pounds of fentanyl, 1,817 pounds of meth, and 174 pounds of cocaine into Eastern North Carolina. Literally a ton of poison meant to kill citizens and their children so he and his minions could scam a few bucks.
Between February and June 2023, investigators conducted several controlled meth purchases from Sandoval, who consistently carried a firearm during the drugs. When Hope Mills Police later attempted to stop him for speeding, he took off, leading officers on a high‑speed chase that exceeded 100 mph before he abandoned his vehicle and ran away on foot. As he fled, he unsuccessfully tried to toss a revolver and meth, but the cops eventually found those after they arrested him.
Despite his track history for criminal recklessness, the state judges just released him from state custody. Sandoval immediately returned to his criminal ways. Within just a few months, he again fled in a high-speed chase from police, eventually ditching his car, and attempted to toss his cocaine. Despite his arrest, Sandoval remained undeterred, shamelessly making multiple phone calls from jail to organize his drug distribution upon his release. All of those calls were recorded, and law enforcement followed all his plans.
“This sentence reflects the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protecting our communities from dangerous drug traffickers,” said the Reid Davis FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina. “In the past year alone, federal drug‑trafficking investigations led to thousands of arrests nationwide, including significant increases in cases involving fentanyl and methamphetamine. These arrests are the result of coordinated efforts with our federal, state, and local partners, and they underscore our intensified crackdown on the criminal networks driving the fentanyl epidemic. The FBI will continue to crush violent crime, dismantle these organizations, and hold those who threaten the safety of North Carolinians accountable.”
“This guilty plea and subsequent sentencing reflect our relentless commitment to removing violent, habitual offenders from the streets of Fayetteville. Drug trafficking and gun violence inflict deep, lasting harm on our neighborhoods, and our department will not stand by while violent actors endanger our residents and threaten the peace of our community,” said Assistant Chief Todd Joyce, Fayetteville Police Department. “This outcome demonstrates what is possible through seamless coordination between local officers, federal investigators, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. To those who choose to introduce dangerous narcotics and illegal firearms into Fayetteville; you will be met with the full weight of our combined resources, and you will be held accountable under federal law.”
This prosecution is part of Operation Couch Potato, a component of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) established under Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole‑of‑government initiative committed to dismantling criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in the United States and abroad. Through unprecedented interagency coordination, HSTF directs federal law enforcement resources to investigate and prosecute the broad spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations. The HSTF places a particular emphasis on targeting offenders involved in crimes against children and uses all available legal authorities to identify, prosecute, and remove violent criminal aliens from the United States.