ROY LEE TERRY, 53, of Oxford, North Carolina, was sentenced to 101 months in federal prison followed by 5 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan, marks the end of a years-long investigation into Terry’s narcotics operation run from his home.
Terry was indicted on August 23, 2016, on three counts tied to drugs and firearms. On November 16, 2016, he pleaded guilty to two of those counts: Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug-Trafficking Crime. The charges stem from a series of controlled drug buys and a subsequent search of his Oxford residence.
The investigation began in August 2015 when the Oxford Police Department received credible information that Terry was dealing cocaine base from his home. Acting on a tip from a confidential source, police conducted four controlled purchases of narcotics from Terry. Each transaction tightened the noose around his illicit operation, leading to a full-scale raid on September 10, 2016.
During the search, authorities found a stolen .380 semi-automatic handgun loaded with 8 rounds inside Terry’s bedroom. Alongside the weapon: 9.34 grams of cocaine base, 15.5 grams of off-white powder suspected to be cocaine, a plastic bag with residue, $680 in cash, a digital scale, and multiple plastic baggies used for distribution. A box with 42 rounds of 9 mm ammunition was discovered in an adjacent bedroom. A cooperating witness confirmed Terry had been seen with both the gun and drugs hours before the raid.
Terry was present during the execution of the warrant, along with his mother—later charged by the State of North Carolina—two women, and juveniles. After waiving his rights, Terry admitted to knowingly possessing the firearm. Ballistics checks confirmed the weapon had been reported stolen, adding to the severity of the charges.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Katherine Burnette and investigated by the Oxford Police Department, North Carolina State Crime Lab, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). It was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a federal initiative aimed at dismantling violent crime networks. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ 2017 reinvigoration of the program underscored the priority placed on cases like Terry’s—where guns and drugs converge to endanger communities.
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Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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