The small North Carolina town of Godwin was the site of a rather large cocaine and crack distribution scheme. However, the men operating the drug ring have been convicted and sentenced, according to a June 21 announcement from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Two of the men, ages 44 and 42, were given life sentences for drug trafficking, money laundering and possession with intent to distribute. A third man was given five years and four months plus three years of probation for money laundering. He is the father of the other two defendants.
According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, the father had purchased a trailer in the outskirts of a small town. The sons began manufacturing and selling crack out of the trailer. Later, the operation became large enough that additional trailers outside across the street were also utilized.
The prosecutors claim the defendants hired additional people to help manufacture and sell the narcotics, creating an operation that ran around the clock. Authorities claim the operation has been in existence for years. Eventually, the father purchased a towing business to launder the drug money through.
Whether a defendant is facing federal or state offenses, drug charges are some of the most severe in a penal code, especially those involving the sale of illegal drugs. This is evidenced by the life sentences handed down to two of the defendants in the aforementioned case. That’s why it’s important for anyone facing drug charges to contact an attorney as soon as possible.