Jermaine Douglas Grandy
Jermaine Douglas Grandy, 42 of Lenoir, was convicted in February on charges of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Dena J. King said in a news release.
Grandy was sentenced to 35 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. The sentence was handed down during U.S. District Court on Thursday, according to court documents.
According to evidence presented at Grandy’s trial, between December 2020 and February 2021, Grandy conspired with others to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl in Caldwell County and surrounding areas.
Trial evidence established that Grandy obtained the drugs from a supply source in Arizona. Grandy frequently travelled there to purchase fentanyl pills in bulk quantities. On February 14, 2021, as Grandy was returning to North Carolina from a trip to Arizona, law enforcement stopped Grandy’s vehicle in Granite Falls, King said.
Officers found three loaded 9mm pistols in the vehicle and 34,221 pills wrapped in 14 bundles that were concealed in the air vent under the hood of the car.
Later the same day, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residence associated with Grandy, from which they seized a money counter, two digital scales and other items consistent with the packaging and distribution of narcotics.
Law enforcement also seized 29 illegal firearms, including semi-automatic rifles and handguns, ammunition, and approximately 79 magazines from the home.