Heroin conviction could net dealer 30 years

A heroin dealer arrested by North Charleston police in 2009 faces 30 years in prison after being convicted Thursday on drug charges in federal court.

Naarl Joseph Richard, 39, of North Charleston was convicted of possession of heroin with intent to distribute after a three-day jury trial in District Court in Charleston, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles.

Richard was arrested on June 1, 2009, after North Charleston police found a secret, mechanized compartment in his car that contained almost 14 ounces of heroin in small wax paper bags, with a total estimated street value of about $200,000.

Richard -- also known as Richard Naarl, Noel Richard and Richard Earl -- faces a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, without parole. Presiding over the trial was District Judge P. Michael Duffy, who will impose sentence after a pre-sentencing report is completed.

Nettles said the conviction was a result of hard work put in by the North Charleston Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

North Charleston Police Chief Jon Zumalt said his narcotics officers were working closely with DEA agents and had determined that Richard was making runs to New Jersey to bring heroin back to the streets of North Charleston.

Testimony during the trial showed that Richard was identified as a local heroin dealer with a New Jersey source.

On May 31, 2009, he drove to Elizabeth, N.J., and quickly turned around and drove back to South Carolina.

While narcotics agents were watching the car, North Charleston officers pulled it over for a traffic violation. The driver gave permission to search the car and officers found some small packages of heroin that appeared to be stained, which had the brand name of "Came to Kill."

After obtaining a search warrant, police found a secret compartment under the center console. The console was opened by the use of a hydraulic lift and the officers were able to open it.

There, they found 1,000 doses of heroin, each with a skeleton stamp. Next to the heroin was a Haitian passport, belonging to Richard. Police obtained a search warrant for Richard's home and found other documents linking him to the car.

Richard has prior convictions for drug charges in New Jersey.

The case was prosecuted by assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Williams of the Charleston office.