Larry Dewayne Colvin, Jr., Methamphetamine Trafficking, North Carolina 2023

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In a major blow to methamphetamine trafficking in North Carolina, Larry Dewayne Colvin, Jr., 51, of Lenoir, was sentenced to 168 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release on drug and gun offenses.

U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced the sentence, which was handed down on October 31, 2023. The sentence comes after Colvin pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

According to court records, law enforcement received information that Colvin was trafficking methamphetamine in Lenoir and surrounding areas on December 12, 2022. During the investigation, law enforcement arranged controlled buys during which they observed Colvin sell methamphetamine to a Confidential Informant (CI).

On December 16, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Colvin’s residence in Lenoir, where they seized methamphetamine and a firearm. A second firearm, an ammunition magazine, drug trafficking paraphernalia, and more than $7,400 in cash drug proceeds were seized from a vehicle parked on the property.

Colvin was also found to be using a camper as a stash house for methamphetamine. From the camper, law enforcement seized more methamphetamine, five handguns, two rifles, and a shotgun. During an interview with Colvin, the defendant told law enforcement that he also hid methamphetamine at his workplace. Law enforcement traveled to Colvin’s workplace where they seized over 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, as well as $30,000 in cash drug proceeds from Colvin’s vehicle.

In addition to the methamphetamine and firearms, law enforcement also seized $2,500 in cash drug proceeds from Colvin after he admitted to having a firearm in his vehicle at a gas station on January 8, 2023.

The investigation was a collaborative effort between the ATF, the SBI, the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office, the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lenoir Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven R. Kaufman and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William Wiseman prosecuted the case.

Colvin is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence in communities across the country.

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