A Salemburg man wanted on more than a dozen felony drug and fraud charges following a drug investigation by Cumberland County law enforcement authorities was ultimately apprehended in Roseboro, according to reports filed in Sampson on Tuesday.
Darrell Wayne Royal Jr., 27, of 164 Elbow Road, Salemburg, has been charged with two counts of trafficking opium or heroin, one count of obtaining controlled substance by fraud, three counts of false license in committing felony while out on bail, three counts of uttering forged instrument, two counts of attempting to traffic in opiates by possession and two counts of attempting to obtain controlled substance by fraud.
The charges stem from a previous investigation in Cumberland, the details of which were not available as of press time. It was a minor traffic violation in Sampson that ultimately did Royal in, according to authorities.
He was stopped for a seat belt violation at around noon Friday as he traveled in a 1995 Buick on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (N.C. 24), near the intersection of N.C. 242 in Roseboro. When the deputy pulled him over, it was discovered that Royal had outstanding warrants in Cumberland County, Lt. Marcus Smith said.
All of the out-of-county warrants were issued Jan. 27.
According to court records from the N.C. Department of Public Safety, Royal was previously convicted in Sampson County in August 2011 on several drug offenses, including selling Schedule II and selling Schedule VI controlled substance, as well as obtaining property by false pretenses. The charges stemmed from investigations at the end of 2010. He was given a suspended sentence and three years probation.
According to jail records available through the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Royal was transferred to Cumberland County on Tuesday, where he was listed as an active inmate in the Cumberland Detention Center.
His bond was set at $500,000 secured.