Raleigh -– A Goldsboro man was sentenced on Thursday to five years in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Arraqib Hardy, 33, pled guilty to the charge on December 16, 2024.

Hardy received an additional two years in federal prison for committing this offense while on federal supervised release for the offenses of possessing a stolen firearm (aiding and abetting) and discharging a firearm in a school zone (aiding and abetting).

Hardy received a total sentence of seven years.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Goldsboro Police officers were conducting surveillance on a convenience store parking lot due to possible drug activity on June 15, 2023.

Officers observed Hardy engage in what appeared to be hand-to-hand drug transactions and arrested him.

Police located a bag with a loaded 9mm handgun, marijuana, fentanyl, and $365 on Hardy.

According to law enforcement, Hardy was a member of the United Blood Nation gang.

Hardy had prior convictions in 2013 for discharging a weapon into an occupied or moving vehicle.

This investigation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the Goldsboro Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:23-CR-00120.