Staff Report

SALISBURY — Nekhent Supreme Ali was arrested on numerous narcotics and weapons charges stemming from a monthlong joint investigation into crack cocaine sales.

The investigation was led by the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit, the Salisbury Police Department’s Narcotics Unit and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Between March 21 and April 24, officers with the Sheriff’s Office and Police Department purchased about 70 grams of suspected crack cocaine from Ali at a residence at 1115 Bryce Ave. in Salisbury.

Officers searched the residence as well as a second residence Ali was known to share with an acquaintance, Shelly Dionne Allen, at 6080 Bringle Ferry Road.

During these searches, two firearms were found — a .40 caliber Taurus pistol and a 5.56 caliber Rock River assault rifle. The search also uncovered 18 grams of marijuana, a large amount of cash and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia.

Ali’s felony convictions include three counts of possession with intent to manufacture, sell or distribute cocaine in the late 1990s; attempted trafficking of cocaine in 2002; discharging a weapon into occupied property in 2007; two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon in 2007 and 2009; felony alluding arrest in 2007; and possession of a stolen firearm in 2009.

Ali also has numerous misdemeanor convictions, including going armed to the terror of the public in 2007, assault with a deadly weapon in 2009 and communicating threats in 2016.

Ali was charged April 25 with possession of a firearm by a felon; three counts of felony possession of Schedule II controlled substances with intent to sell or distribute; three counts of felony maintaining a dwelling for drug sales; trafficking in cocaine; three counts of misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia; and misdemeanor possession of Schedule VI substances.

Ali received a secured bond of $300,000.