The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C.
(TNS)
A former Raleigh firefighter and his wife pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to selling drugs throughout the state.
Nicholas Banister and Amanda Lee Banister were arrested last May on multiple federal charges, The News & Observer reported. Nicholas Banister, then a senior firefighter with the city, had worked there since 2013 but left the job shortly after the arrest.
The couple were booked into the Wake County jail with bail set at $4 million each, The N&O reported.
N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement agents were tipped off to the couple’s activities by an unidentified person who shared a screenshot of Nicholas Banister’s Snapchat menu of drugs available for sale.
The source then connected an ALE undercover agent with Banister, who met the agent at Morgan Street Food Hall in downtown Raleigh on April 18 to purchase $400 of cocaine and ketamine, The N&O reported.
An undercover agent purchased drugs from Nicholas Banister at least three more times, according to court documents. Amanda Banister remained in the couple’s SUV during the transactions, and Nicholas Banister indicated she was his “assistant” who helped him package the drugs, The N&O reported.
A search of the couple’s Long Cove Court home turned up more than $200,000, methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms, Xanax, ecstasy pills, LSD, DMT (a psychedelic drug), two firearms and a digital wallet for cryptocurrency, according to a U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina news release.
“Banister had been selling cocaine, methamphetamine, and LSD every other week for at least a year prior to his arrest,” the release said. “Banister purchased the narcotics from the dark web using cryptocurrency, had them shipped to North Carolina, and then sold them to various buyers, primarily in the Glenwood South area.”
The Banisters, both 36 years old, will face at least 10 years each in prison when they are sentenced at a later date, according to the release.
They’ll also have to forfeit their home, $69,050, a Glock 9 mm pistol and a Remington 12-gauge shotgun, according to court documents.
“It is unfortunate to see someone we trust to help keep us protected involved in criminal activities that jeopardize public safety,” said Alicia Jones, the ATF’s special agent in charge of North Carolina in a written statement.
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