Three Arrested In Narcotics Conspiracy Alleged Conspiracy Operated in Rowan and Davie Counties
Greensboro, NC — Three individuals charged with conspiring to distribute cocaine hydrochloride in Rowan and Davie Counties were arrested Tuesday, August 4, announced U.S. Attorney Anna Mills Wagoner for the Middle District of North Carolina today.
The single-count indictment returned on July 27, 2009, alleges that BARRY WAYNE MILLER, age 43, of Mocksville, NC, BOBBY RAY HALL, age 34, of Spencer, NC, and DONALD TODD SMITH, age 40, of Salisbury, NC, conspired to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride in Rowan and Davie Counties between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2008.
“These arrests demonstrate our commitment to support our state and local law enforcement partners as they battle drug trafficking,” said Anna Mills Wagoner. “We will charge alleged offenders under the federal drug laws when doing so promotes our common goal of safe, drug-free communities.”
Initial appearances for the three defendants were held Tuesday in federal court in Winston-Salem before Donald P. Dietrich, United States Magistrate Judge. Detention hearings for the defendants are scheduled for August 11, 2009, and trials are expected to be scheduled for the September 2009 term of court in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Each defendant convicted on the drug conspiracy charge could be sentenced to imprisonment for a period of not less than ten years nor more than life, a fine of up to $4,000,000, or both, and supervised release of five years.
The charges stem from a lengthy investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bureau of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Davie County Sheriff’s Office, the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, and the Salisbury Police Department. An indictment is not evidence of guilt. All persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
