Raleigh: Fentanyl dealer gets 27 years in federal prison for 2023 overdose death

A Raleigh man who admitted distributing the fentanyl that killed a 26-year-old man in 2023 has been sentenced to 27 years in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced Wednesday.

Kenneth Omar Roger Chung, 53, who also went by "Skully," was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III on two counts: distributing fentanyl that led to a death, and conspiring to possess fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine with intent to sell them. Chung pleaded guilty on May 20, 2026, according to the office.

Prosecutors say Chung kept dealing after that death. Their release describes two more overdose deaths later in 2023: a man in Cary to whom, they say, Chung had delivered crack cocaine, and Chung's own roommate.

None of the three people who died have been named.

What prosecutors say happened

On March 28, 2023, Raleigh police answered a 911 call and found a 26-year-old man dead of an overdose, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Officers found heroin, purple fentanyl powder and 11 Xanax pills in his backpack. An autopsy confirmed he died of a fentanyl overdose, and evidence on his phone showed Chung had delivered the drugs the night before, the office said.

Investigators then made several controlled drug buys, including purchases of purple fentanyl, directly from Chung and a co-defendant, Jermaine Robinson, according to the release.

Prosecutors say that on Oct. 7, 2023, Chung delivered crack cocaine to a man in Cary who later died of an overdose.

On Oct. 23, 2023, Raleigh officers answered another 911 call, this time at Chung's apartment, and found his roommate unresponsive, the release says. The roommate later died of an overdose. The release does not say what drugs the roommate took or where they came from.

Two days later, on Oct. 25, 2023, Raleigh police searched Chung's apartment. According to the office, they seized about 29 grams of fentanyl, 24 grams of methamphetamine, 10 grams of heroin, 5 grams of cocaine, 57 grams of marijuana and four guns. Officers then arrested Chung and found more drugs and $5,541 in cash.

What officials said

U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle said in the release that Chung "chose profit over human life" and went back to looking for customers even after he knew someone had died. Boyle said the 27-year sentence would protect people in eastern North Carolina for decades.

Alicia Jones, the ATF special agent in charge, said illegal drugs are often deadly and that illegally possessed guns add to the danger. Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce thanked the agencies that worked on the case, including the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The ATF, Raleigh police and Cary police investigated the case.

The case in court

The federal case is United States v. Chung, No. 5:25-CR-00124-D, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The case number shows it was opened in 2025. A court order filed Sept. 11, 2026, shows Chung pleaded guilty under a written plea agreement to two counts of the indictment, Counts One and Three. Count One was brought under the federal law that sets penalties for distributing drugs such as fentanyl.

The release does not say whether Chung was charged in the Cary death or the roommate's death, or what happened in Robinson's case.

What the law says

Under the section of federal drug law cited in Count One, distributing a Schedule I or II drug, a group that includes fentanyl, carries a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison, and up to life, when death or serious bodily injury results from using it.

There is no parole in the federal system. The Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 eliminated parole for federal crimes committed after Nov. 1, 1987, according to the U.S. Parole Commission.

Timeline

• Night of March 27, 2023: Chung delivers drugs to a 26-year-old Raleigh man, according to evidence on the man's phone cited by prosecutors.
• March 28, 2023: Raleigh police find the man dead of a fentanyl overdose.
• Soon after March 28, 2023 (exact dates not released): Investigators make several controlled drug buys from Chung and co-defendant Jermaine Robinson.
• Oct. 7, 2023: A man in Cary dies of an overdose after Chung delivered crack cocaine to him, prosecutors say.
• Oct. 23, 2023: Raleigh police find Chung's roommate unresponsive at Chung's apartment. The roommate later dies of an overdose.
• Oct. 25, 2023: Raleigh police search Chung's apartment and arrest him.
• May 20, 2026: Chung pleads guilty in federal court.
• Sept. 11, 2026: The judge signs a preliminary order of forfeiture in the case.
• Oct. 7, 2026: The U.S. Attorney's Office announces Chung's 27-year sentence.

What happens next

Chung will serve his sentence in federal prison. The U.S. Attorney's Office has not released the names of the people who died, and court documents in the case are available through the federal court's PACER system under case number 5:25-CR-00124-D.

We will update this story if prosecutors or police release more information about the other two deaths or about Robinson's case.