Douglas Aaron Holcomb, Drug Trafficking, North Carolina 2023

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A devastating blow to North Carolina’s streets: a twice-convicted man is facing new federal drug trafficking and firearms charges, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Brian Mein, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Sheriff Lowell S. Griffin of the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.

According to court documents and court records, Douglas Aaron Holcomb, 31, of Brevard, N.C., was released from federal custody on June 20, 2023, after serving a term of imprisonment for possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, and he began to serve a term of court-ordered supervised release.

The indictment alleges that, on June 27, 2023, in Henderson County, while Holcomb was on supervised release, he possessed with intent to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine. The indictment also alleges that Holcombe illegally possessed a .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol and 51 rounds of ammunition, and that he possessed the firearm and the ammunition in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities.

The charges against Holcomb are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison. The charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a sentence of at least five years in prison up to life in prison, to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed. The charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

In addition to the 2020 federal conviction, Holcomb was convicted in 2016 of federal firearms offenses, that being unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition while being a fugitive from justice, and possession of a firearm and ammunition while being an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the ATF and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville is prosecuting the case.

Mandatory Facts: Douglas Aaron Holcomb, a 31-year-old resident of Brevard, N.C., is facing new federal drug trafficking and firearms charges after an indictment was filed on June 27, 2023. He was released from federal custody on June 20, 2023, after serving a term of imprisonment for possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and began serving a term of court-ordered supervised release.

Defendant: Douglas Aaron Holcomb

Criminal Charges: Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon

City and State: Asheville, N.C.

Exact Date: June 27, 2023

Sentence or Outcome: Pending trial

Dollar Amounts: None mentioned

Additional Information: This is not the first time Holcomb has faced federal charges, as he was previously convicted in 2016 of federal firearms offenses and in 2020 of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.

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