Man tries to swallow bag of cocaine while being charged in overdose death

Nancy McCleary, The Sanford Herald, N.C.
·1 min read

May 22—A Robeson County man attempted to swallow 12 grams of cocaine Friday as he was being formally charged with providing narcotics that led to a fatal overdose in Lee County.

The information was included in a press release issued Monday by Sheriff Brian Estes.

A Lee County Sheriff's Office investigation that began in January resulted in a death by distribution charge filed against Antonio Deangelo Heck, 42, a release said.

Heck has multiple addresses in his name in Lee, Hoke, Robeson and Cumberland counties.

He was taken to the Lee County magistrate's office to be processed when investigators detected a change in his speech pattern and discovered he was trying to swallow a plastic bag containing narcotics, the release said.

Investigators were able to convince Heck to spit out the bag filled with cocaine, the release said.

Heck was then charged with possession of a controlled substance on jail premises and jailed without bond.

He was sentenced earlier this month in Lee County Superior Court on drug-related charges. He was given a suspended sentence which included 90 days of house arrest with electronic monitoring and allowed to go to work from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.