Updated December 19, 2020 8:56 a.m. EST By Sarah Krueger, WRAL Durham reporter Hillsborough, N.C. — Two Durham criminal defense attorneys who have tried federal drug cases before say the 21 people charged in connection with a drug trafficking ring at area universities are likely to serve some prison time. The length of the investigation and the cooperation between federal and local authorities tells Daniel Meier that prosecutors have their evidence buttoned up. "They’ve already secured guilty pleas. They’ve already got cooperating witnesses. They’ve been working on this a long time," Meier said. "When you get cases from the feds, they tend to be very well-prepared. Their T's are crossed, and their I's are dotted."