Ernest Terrell McKoy, Drug Trafficking and Firearm Offense, North Carolina 2019
Raleigh, NC – In a shocking display of lawlessness, Ernest Terrell McKoy, 31, of Dunn, NC, has been sentenced to 144 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years supervised release, for his role in a brazen drug trafficking and firearm offense.
According to court documents, on November 6, 2017, investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) utilized a confidential informant to purchase an unspecified amount of methamphetamine from McKoy at his residence in Dunn, North Carolina.
On July 3, 2018, deputies with the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by McKoy. A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of a stolen Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol, ammunition, and a large capacity magazine in a bag behind the front passenger seat. Investigation determined that the firearm was reported stolen in Johnston County on September 2, 2017.
On September 7, 2018, McKoy was arrested federally for possessing a firearm on July 3, 2018. Subsequent to his arrest, McKoy provided a statement to investigators during which he admitted to selling 85.05 grams of crystal meth every other day for about eight or nine months. McKoy also admitted to purchasing 7.0875 grams of heroin six times (42.53 grams of heroin).
McKoy stated that he possessed the firearm on July 3, 2018, because he sold narcotics. He stated that he traded 2 grams of narcotics and $400 in U.S. currency for the firearm in approximately September 2017.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The investigation was conducted by ATF and the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Daniel W. Smith prosecuted the case for the government.
The 144-month sentence is a result of McKoy’s guilty plea to Distribution of a Quantity of Methamphetamine and to Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. McKoy will spend the next 12 years behind bars, a fate he likely would have avoided had he not chosen a life of crime.
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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