SALISBURY — Nekhent Supreme ALI, also known as William Sean Perry Jr., 37, of Salisbury, was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Winston-Salem to 235 months in prison on charges of distributing cocaine base.

ALI was ordered to serve three years of supervised release after completing his sentence. He pleaded guilty to the charges in November.

The federal charges stemmed from an investigation in the spring of 2018, led by the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit and assisted by the Crime Reduction Unit, the Salisbury City Police Department’s Narcotics Unit as well as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Between March 21 and April 24, 2018, officers with the Sheriff’s Office and Police Department bought about 70 grams of suspected crack cocaine from ALI at a residence at 1115 Bryce Ave. Further investigation into ALI’s participation in the distribution of illicit narcotics led to ALI being charged in federal court with distribution in cocaine base in excess of 1,120 grams of suspected cocaine.

ALI also was found to be in possession of firearms and large amounts of cash.

Before this arrest, ALI had been convicted of multiple felony counts of possession of cocaine; possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine; possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver cocaine; possession of a firearm by a felon; discharging a weapon into an occupied property; and being a habitual felon.

ALI also had numerous misdemeanor convictions including going armed to the terror of the public, resisting arrest, carrying a concealed firearm, possession of drug paraphernalia and communicating threats. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Terry M. Meinecke.