GREENVILLE - United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court yesterday Senior United States District Judge Malcolm J. Howard sentenced ERICK JAMES SPEIGHT, 31, of LaGrange, North Carolina, to 114 months imprisonment followed by five years supervised release. 

A Federal Grand Jury returned a Criminal Indictment on August 10, 2011.  On January 5, 2012, SPEIGHT pled guilty to conspiring to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

According to the investigation, in March, 2011, law enforcement received information that co-defendants Eric Paul Lopez Camarena and Rolando Munoz-Sanchez were running drugs from Texas to North Carolina.  Further information was received that on March 21, 2011, the co-defendants would be traveling to Deep Run, North Carolina.  The next day, while law enforcement were performing surveillance, a vehicle matching the description that had been given was observed.  A traffic stop was initiated, a narcotics dog was used to conduct a “sniff” of the vehicle, and 2,039.5 grams of cocaine was found concealed in the vehicle.   It was learned through questioning that the co-defendants were to deliver the cocaine to SPEIGHT in LaGrange, North Carolina.  The delivery was arranged with SPEIGHT, and once at the meeting location, SPEIGHT was placed under arrest. 

Investigation of this case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Greenville Regional Drug Task Force, the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office and the Kinston Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Glenn Perry was the assigned Prosecutor.  Mr. Perry is a prosecutor with the Pitt County District Attorney’s Office. District Attorney Clark Everett  has assigned him to the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force criminal matters. This has been made possible by a grant funded by the Governor’s Crime Commission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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