Calvin Colweth “Spoke” Garner Jr. will spend 27.5 years in federal prison following a plea bargain today in U.S. Court in New Bern.
Garner was also sentenced to five years supervised release.
A Federal Grand Jury returned a criminal indictment on September 9, 2010. On April 26, 2011, Garner pled guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of crack and 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and conspiring to launder monetary instruments.
According to evidence presented in court, an investigation was initiated in 2008 in which it was learned that Garner was the leader of a drug trafficking organization operating in the Halifax and Nash-County areas.
According to court documents, Garner’s participation in the drug conspiracy dated back to 1989.
The investigation revealed that Garner was a source of cocaine supply in the Halifax and Nash county areas, and was accountable for approximately 183 kilograms of cocaine, 12 kilograms of crack and 27 kilograms of marijuana.
The investigation also revealed that between 2004 and 2008, Garner formed four companies, becoming the registered agent for each, and used these companies to facilitate the laundering of drug proceeds.
Investigators discovered that Garner laundered approximately $177,000 of his drug proceeds through purchases of automobiles, motorcycles, and a floor stripping machine he purchased for one of his companies for more than $28,000.
In December 2007, Garner made a cash purchase of $28,600 in casino chips at a casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Special Agent in Charge Jeannine A. Hammett stated, “IRS-CI is committed to fighting the war on drugs along with other federal, state and local agencies. When individuals choose to pump poison, in the form of illegal narcotics, into the communities of the Eastern District of North Carolina, they will be held accountable for their choices.”
As part of his sentence, Garner forfeited a 2003 H2 Hummer, a 1994 Fleetwood Coronado Recreational Vehicle, a Taylor 260P Bronco Propane Floor Stripper Machine, and a 2004 Ford F150 Pickup Truck.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations Division, and the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office, led investigation of this case.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration also participated in the investigation.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case entitled Operation Burnout. To date, Operation Burnout has federally indicted 45 individuals in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Agencies participating in this joint operation have seized and/or purchased approximately 4 kilograms of cocaine, 1 kilogram of crack cocaine, 280 kilograms of marijuana, 44 firearms, $258,000 dollars cash/monetary funds, and $67,500 dollars in real/personal property.
Assistant United States Attorney Josh Royster and Special Assistant United States Attorney Glenn Perry were the assigned Prosecutors. 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.
