WILMINGTON, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Alexander Trowbridge, also known as “Snow,” 41, of Henderson, NC, to almost 27 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and more than 2.2 pounds of heroin; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and possession of a firearm by a felon. “Drug trafficking organizations can no longer hide in Eastern North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “We shut down this network, and we are coming for the rest to clean these predators off our streets and protect the citizens. If you sell drugs, we will find you, prosecute you, and put you in prison for a long time. Simple lesson: Drugs kill; prison awaits—do right.”In August 2019, the DEA, ATF, and other state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Henderson Police Department, initiated an investigation into a drug trafficking organization (DTO) in Henderson, North Carolina. The DTO obtained kilogram-level quantities of heroin and fentanyl from New Jersey and sold the drugs throughout Vance, Durham, Warren, Wake, Wilson, Franklin, and Granville counties. They regularly distributed fentanyl in baggies marked with a “Toy Story” stamp; a trademark they used to identify their product.Law enforcement identified Trowbridge as the leader of the organization and, through controlled purchases along with physical and electronic surveillance, pinpointed several locations in Henderson used by the group, including 56 Kelly Road, 100 Kelly Road, and 66 Pinecone Lane.The group would hide heroin and fentanyl in various places inside residences, as well as in buckets, stacks of tires, or in the woods out around the property. Drone footage showed that members of the DTO regularly drove back and forth between 66 Pinecone Lane to 56 Kelly Road, from the stash house to the trap house. They conducted hand-to-hand transactions selling drugs to customers at the trap house. Trowbridge often used numerous drug mules to transport and sell his drugs. In one instance, authorities stopped one of his mules in Maryland and found more than 2 pounds of fentanyl in the mule’s car.The investigative findings set the stage for the next phase of the operation, culminating on November 17, 2022, when law enforcement simultaneously executed search warrants at 66 Pinecone Lane, 56 Kelly Road, and 100 Kelly Road. During those searches, authorities seized the following:• 66 Pinecone Lane:38 grams of a heroin/fentanyl mixture stamped with a “Toy Story” emblem (found in a bucket in the wood line)Four shotgunsFour riflesA loaded 9mm handgunA 31‑round magazineA .45‑caliber handgunMultiple firearm magazines, including a drum magazineMore than 2,000 rounds of assorted ammunition• 56 Kelly Road:A .40‑caliber firearmA large‑capacity magazine25 rounds of .40‑caliber ammunitionFour rounds of .38‑caliber ammunition$10,304 in U.S. currencyA stolen firearm• 100 Kelly Road:A loaded rifle$88,931 in U.S. currencyA loaded 9mm handgun with an extended magazine80 grams of heroin and fentanyl stamped with a “Toy Story” emblem (found in a bucket in the woods between 56 Kelly Road and 100 Kelly Road)Several DTO members have already been convicted and sentenced in federal court for their roles in the drug trafficking organization. Bridgett Burrows; seven and a half years in federal prison; Marques D. Gray eight years; Daquan Lovely; eight years and one month; Joseph Trowbridge; seven years; and Dwayne Trowbridge eight years. To view press conference go to: https://youtu.be/F0447PvHZ3Q?si=7maFYBu9KpHnyEa3“This sentence reflects the commitment of law enforcement agencies working together to hold those who traffic fentanyl accountable,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division…
Source: U.S. Department of Justice