Davon Kelly Bennett, 41, of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, was found guilty yesterday on federal charges tied to a sprawling drug trafficking network that pumped kilos of cocaine and heroin through Pasquotank County for over a decade. A jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina convicted Bennett on charges of conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, 100 grams or more of heroin and marijuana, possession with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and money laundering by concealment.
The takedown began on March 4, 2015, when Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office detectives and a coalition of law enforcement agencies raided Bennett’s residence at 1300 Brothers Lane. Inside his washing machine, they pulled out $81,047 in cash. In his bedroom, they uncovered over $10,000 more, three firearms, and vehicle titles registered to nominee owners—part of a laundering scheme to hide the profits of his narcotics operation. A vacuum sealer, two digital scales, and two money counters were found in the home, tools of a professional-level drug enterprise.
Outside, in a shed on the property, investigators discovered approximately 180 grams of marijuana. The next day, a search of vehicles parked at the home turned up a mother lode: 3 kilograms of cocaine, 789 grams of heroin, $60,100 in cash, and a stolen .38 caliber revolver hidden in a secret compartment beneath the floorboard of a Honda Odyssey. The compartment was expertly concealed, but not well enough to escape scrutiny from a years-long multi-agency probe.
Trial evidence revealed that Bennett had been trafficking drugs since 2000, using trusted associates to register vehicles in their names to shield his assets. These nominee registrations were a cornerstone of his effort to mask the flow of illicit money. The investigation, led by the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and multiple state and local agencies—including the Dare County Sheriff’s Office, Greenville Regional Drug Task Force, N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, and several coastal police departments—exposed the depth and reach of Bennett’s operation.
U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle presided over the three-day trial, which laid bare the mechanics of a criminal enterprise built on violence, secrecy, and cash. Bennett now faces mandatory minimum sentences on multiple counts, including 10 years to life for the drug trafficking and firearm charges. Sentencing is scheduled for January 2017.
The prosecution was handled by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenn Perry and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Knott. Perry, a prosecutor with the Pitt County District Attorney’s Office, was detailed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office through funding from the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys to handle Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force cases—precisely the kind of high-level narcotics prosecution that Bennett’s case represents.
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Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Weapons|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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