Granite Falls Woman Sentenced In Meth Trafficking Case

A Granite Falls woman has been sentenced to more than five years in prison following a Caldwell County methamphetamine trafficking investigation.

37-year-old Heather Marie Payne was sentenced in Caldwell County Superior Court. She will serve at least 70 months in the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections. Payne was indicted earlier this year on a charge of trafficking methamphetamine.

Payne was one of two women arrested following a March 24 traffic stop on Duke Street in Granite Falls. According to the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office, Granite Falls Police Detectives stopped a vehicle carrying Payne and 50-year-old Krystal Leigh Horner of Collettsville. Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Raven alerted officers to the possible presence of narcotics. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of approximately 40 grams of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $6,000, according to the sheriff’s office.

At the time of the arrests, authorities said the investigation was connected to an earlier seizure of more than 220 grams of methamphetamine and was part of an investigation into a larger methamphetamine distribution ring.

Payne’s co-defendant, 31-year-old Darren Lee Ellis of Granite Falls, has already been sentenced to an active prison term in the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections.
Sheriff Kevin Bean said the March arrests resulted from a joint investigation involving the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office I.C.E. Unit, Granite Falls Police Department and Lenoir Police Department.

Story: Rob Eastwood-WHKY