WILMINGTON, N.C. (NCN News) — 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.
Alexander Trowbridge, (photo courtesy U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of NC)
“Drug trafficking organizations can no longer hide in Eastern North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.in a press release. “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:
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38 grams of a heroin/fentanyl mixture stamped with a “Toy Story” emblem (found in a bucket in the wood line)
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Four shotguns
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Four rifles
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A loaded 9mm handgun
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A 31‑round magazine
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A .45‑caliber handgun
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Multiple firearm magazines, including a drum magazine
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More than 2,000 rounds of assorted ammunition
• 56 Kelly Road:
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A .40‑caliber firearm
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A large‑capacity magazine
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25 rounds of .40‑caliber ammunition
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Four rounds of .38‑caliber ammunition
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$10,304 in U.S. currency
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A stolen firearm
• 100 Kelly Road:
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A loaded rifle
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$88,931 in U.S. currency
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A loaded 9mm handgun with an extended magazine
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80 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. “Through strong partnerships and coordinated enforcement, we will continue disrupting the flow of this deadly drug and doing everything we can to keep our communities safe. Together, we are working toward a Fentanyl Free America.”
“This investigation is another example of what can be accomplished when local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies work together toward a common mission. Partnerships make our communities safer and send a clear message to drug traffickers: there is no jurisdictional boundary that will protect you from our unified law enforcement efforts,” said Marcus Barrow, Henderson Police Chief.
This prosecution is part of Operation TYM 2 Block the Bridge of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. This case was investigated by the ATF, DEA, NCSBI, Henderson Police Department, and Vance County Sheriff’s Office.