Kevin Joseph Boyle, Methamphetamine Possession, North Carolina 2020

A Southport man was sentenced to a lengthy prison term for his role in a major methamphetamine distribution ring in the area. Kevin Joseph Boyle, 64, was sentenced to 151 months in prison for possessing with the intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine.

The charges stem from an investigation by the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). On August 13, 2020, Boyle pled guilty to the charges in U.S. District Court.

According to court documents, Boyle was stopped by deputies on a return trip from Charlotte, NC. A GPS tracking device on his truck indicated that he had traveled to Charlotte and back towards Brunswick County. Deputies stopped the truck after it crossed the center line of the highway and allowed law enforcement to search the vehicle. A K9 gave a positive indication for the presence of narcotics in the vehicle.

A search of the vehicle revealed a magnetic box located in the rear passenger side tire well containing methamphetamine. Interviews with cooperating witnesses confirmed that Boyle traveled to Charlotte on a regular basis to resupply with methamphetamine and that he was a major source of methamphetamine in Southport.

The case was investigated by the ATF and the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office, with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Murphy Averitt prosecuting the case. The case is part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative, which emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The case is part of the ongoing effort to combat methamphetamine trafficking in the region.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:20-cr-00013-M.

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