North Carolina man convicted of heroin distribution in Athens trial; caught in FBI sting

A North Carolina man that federal officials charged with conducting drug deals in Athens faces substantial time in prison following his conviction Thursday in U.S. District Court in Athens.

Nathaniel Hilliard III, 37, of Raleigh, N.C., was convicted of possessing a firearm by a convicted felon, three counts of distributing heroin and failing to appear in court.

U.S. District Court Judge Ashley Royal will sentence Hilliard at a later date, but he faces up to 60 years on the heroin convictions alone, according to a document from the Middle District U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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According to the documents, in May 2016 Hilliard sold a .38-caliber pistol and several quantities of heroin to a confidential informant for the FBI at the Rolling Ridge Apartments in Athens. The buys were captured on video, agents said.

Hilliard has prior convictions of conspiring to commit robbery and assault by strangulation in North Carolina, according to federal agents.

In April 2022, Hillard was living in North Carolina and was advised to appear in court in Athens, but “he was uncooperative” and did not appear for a meeting with a probation officer or for the court hearing, according to the document.

Among those assisting the FBI were the Middle Georgia Safe Streets Gang Task Force, Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force and Athens-Clarke police Gang Unit.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: N.C. man faces prison time for heroin conviction in Athens court