Salisbury man charged with drug possession following undercover purchases

Published 12:47 pm Tuesday, January 21, 2020

By Shavonne Walker

shavonne.walker@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — A Salisbury man was charged Friday with multiple drug offenses after undercover drug transactions, said Salisbury Police Detective Travis Shulenburger.

Richard Ira Phifer, 51, of North Shaver Street, was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance schedule II, misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver a controlled substance schedule II and felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to manufacture a schedule II.

He is accused of having oxycodone and what was suspected to be crack cocaine.

He has since been released from the county jail under a $150,000 secured bond.

Police served the most recent arrest warrants on Friday and had previously arrested Phifer in October while he was on his way to work, serving warrants at the time for cocaine trafficking. In 2014, Phifer was ordered to pay excise taxes to the IRS on the drugs that he allegedly sold.

The N.C. Unauthorized Substances Tax is likely one of the least-known taxes required by the Department of Revenue. In that 2014 incident, Phifer was accused of selling cocaine from a window in his home. Investigators tested the window sill, where they found a powdery substance.