Lumberton Man Sentenced to 12.5 Years for Trafficking Cocaine and Heroin Through Tienda Storefront in North Carolina
Alberto Alegria, 28, of Lumberton in Robeson County, North Carolina, was sentenced to 12 and a half years in federal prison for selling cocaine and heroin throughout eastern North Carolina, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced on October 28.
Alegria pleaded guilty on June 16, 2026, to conspiracy to distribute over 11 pounds of cocaine and over two pounds of heroin, possession with intent to distribute more than one pound of cocaine and over two pounds of heroin, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan imposed the sentence.
According to court documents, investigators suspected Alegria was a major drug trafficker in Robeson County as early as 2022 and began making controlled buys of cocaine and heroin from him in August 2023. They documented him receiving large shipments of cocaine and selling drugs out of his store, Tienda Mexicana La Hacienda, which he used as a front to distribute narcotics and move drug proceeds, including wire transfers of thousands of dollars from the store back to a cartel in Mexico. Through undercover buys, search warrants and a traffic stop, law enforcement seized more than 14 pounds of cocaine and over 5 pounds of heroin.
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, said the collaboration of federal, state and local partners dismantled the criminal enterprise. The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the State Bureau of Investigation, the Robeson County and Hoke County sheriff's offices, and the Lumberton and Fayetteville police departments, as part of Operation Flip Switch under the Homeland Security Task Force.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：本案宣判地New Bern的美国邮政与法院大楼（北卡罗来纳州东区联邦法院）。Carol M. Highsmith摄，2006年，美国国会图书馆藏，无已知出版限制。 / Photo: The U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in New Bern, North Carolina. By Carol M. Highsmith, 2006, Library of Congress, no known restrictions on publication.
