Man sentenced up to 10 years for selling heroin and drugs

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A habitual felon will spend between 7 1/2 and 10 years in prison for selling drugs and guns.

On Tuesday, Bennie Lee Graham, 37, pleaded guilty to several charges, including Trafficking in Heroin between 14 and 28 grams and PWISD Schedule I Controlled Substance.

In February 2016, detectives with the Vice and Narcotics Unit of the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office received word from a confidential source that Graham was trafficking in heroin and selling firearms.

A month later, the same source told detectives that Graham was at the Extended Stay Hotel on New Centre Drive in Wilmington and had a large quantity of raw heroin on him, heroin packaged for sale, and marijuana and pills.

Detectives began watching the area and saw Graham leave the hotel. Detectives approached Graham and could smell an odor of burnt marijuana. When they asked if he had anything illegal on him, Graham admitted he did. Graham was searched and detectives found a bag that contained marijuana, heroin and pills, as well as a plastic jar that contained 15 grams of heroin.

A consensual search of Graham’s hotel room was performed and the detectives found drug paraphernalia consistent with cutting narcotics, packaging narcotics for sale and ingesting narcotics.

Graham has an extensive criminal history and was indicted as Habitual Felon which means he has at least three successive felony convictions.