CiGi Potter, Meth Trafficking, North Carolina 2022

NEW BERN, N.C. – In a federal prison sentence that underscores the gravity of North Carolina’s ongoing methamphetamine crisis, CiGi Potter, 37, of Pitt County, has been sentenced to 80 months behind bars for her role in a vast conspiracy to possess and distribute the highly addictive and destructive substance.

Potter’s crimes, which involved the sale of over 6 kilograms of methamphetamine between February 2018 and November 2019, were uncovered through a multi-agency investigation led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with assistance from the Duplin, Craven, Lenoir, Pitt, and Onslow County Sheriff’s Offices, as well as the Jacksonville, New Bern, and Farmville Police Departments.

The case against Potter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo, with the support of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, Potter supplied methamphetamine distributors in Duplin, Pitt, and Onslow Counties, including a violent white supremacist organization operating in Onslow County. On April 12, 2019, Potter provided a group of individuals with only 8 ounces of methamphetamine, despite their demand for a full pound. The incident escalated, resulting in one of the individuals producing a firearm and discharging it into the ground.

On April 8, 2019, Potter was stopped for a traffic violation in Pitt County, during which law enforcement discovered over 30 grams of methamphetamine and a set of digital scales in her vehicle. Further investigation revealed that Potter had engaged in controlled purchases of methamphetamine with law enforcement on October 7 and 23, 2019, in Lenoir County.

Prior to her November 2019 arrest on federal charges, Potter was responsible for possessing with the intent to distribute and distributing more than 6 kilograms of methamphetamine, as determined by law enforcement during the investigation.

Potter’s sentencing marks a significant victory in the ongoing fight against methamphetamine trafficking in North Carolina, and serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of this highly addictive and destructive substance.

The case was part of Operation Fighting Jelly Fish, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation aimed at dismantling the highest-level drug traffickers and disrupting their networks.

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