Crip
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High-Ranking Raleigh Crip Gang Member Sentenced After Weapons Bust & Murder Plot

Phyllis Coley @phyllis_coley

NEW BERN, N.C. – A high-ranking Crip gang member from Raleigh will spend more than five years behind bars after trafficking firearms, discussing a murder-for-hire plot, and committing violent assaults while in custody.

Hinton

Dwight Daniel Hinton, 34, was sentenced to 71 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after pleading guilty on November 3, 2023.

Gun Trafficking & Illegal Sales

According to court records, Hinton illegally trafficked firearms to New York through another Crip gang member. Using a straw purchaser, he obtained firearms from licensed dealers and sold them on the black market.

Undercover agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) used a confidential informant to purchase three firearms from Hinton—including an AR-15 rifle with a high-capacity magazine and a brass catcher, which could be converted into a machine gun.

Murder-for-Hire Plot & Jailhouse Violence

While in custody, Hinton was caught on tape discussing a $20,000 murder-for-hire scheme offered by another gang member.

His violent behavior didn’t stop there—while awaiting sentencing, he assaulted two fellow inmates at separate facilities, the Pamlico Correctional Institute and then assaulted another inmate in the Pitt County Detention Center. Authorities also found him in possession of a homemade “shank” weapon while in jail.

Extensive Criminal History

Hinton is no stranger to the law. His eight prior felony convictions include:

  • Multiple firearm offenses
  • Robbery with a dangerous weapon
  • Assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury
  • Breaking and entering

Federal Investigation & Sentencing

U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan handed down the sentence after an investigation led by the ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Sandling and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Aria Q. Merle prosecuted the case.

For more details, visit the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or search Case No. 5:23-CR-00202-FL on PACER.

Photo: Wake County Detention Center