trafficking
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Local Man Faces Multiple Charges For Trafficking, Fentanyl, Cocaine & Heroin

Phyllis Coley @phyllis_coley

Durham, NC – A Durham man is in the detention center Friday night (May 19) ending a months-long drug investigation. Earlier Friday, investigators from the Durham County Sheriff’s Office Anti-Crime and Narcotics unit (SAC/Narc) went to the home of Aaron Simmons on the 3700 block of 4 Seasons Drive in Durham.

A search of the home yielded the following contraband:

  • 115 grams Heroin
  • 184 grams Cocaine
  • 147 grams Fentanyl

In addition, the following was packaged for sale:

  • 68 capsules of crack
  • 355 bundles of Heroin & Fentanyl
  • Under $10,000 cash
  • 1 long gun
  • 1 handgun
trafficking
Aaron Jahmad Simmons

Charged in this investigation is 50-year-old Aaron Jahmad Simmons of the above address. Simmons was booked into the Durham County Detention Center this afternoon without the benefit of bond and charged with:

  • Trafficking in Opium or Heroin (2 counts)
  • Trafficking in Cocaine
  • Possession With Intent to Sell or Distribute (PWISD) Cocaine
  • PWISD Marijuana
  • Maintain a Vehicle/Dwelling/Place for Controlled Substances
  • Manufacture/Sell/Deliver Controlled Substances w/in 1000 ft of a school
  • Possession of Schedule II Controlled Substances
  • Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

This is an ongoing investigation and additional arrests are pending.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. It is a prescription drug that is also made and used illegally. The CDC reports that opioids, mainly synthetic opioids (other than methadone), are currently the main driver of drug overdose deaths. 72.9% of opioid-involved overdose deaths involve synthetic opioids.

“Two (2) milligrams of fentanyl can be a lethal dose,” said Durham County Sheriff Clarence F. Birkhead. “According to DEA data, one (1) kilo of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people. When you consider the population of the City of Durham is just over 285,000, it’s sobering to think of.”

The Sheriff’s Office is committed to fighting the opioid epidemic. Durham County Sheriff’s Office was the first in the State of North Carolina to offer Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for residents of the detention facility and their investigators are working with local, state, and federal officials to stop the flow of these illegal drugs.