Nash County Drug Dealer Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Selling Over 22 Pounds of Methamphetamine

RALEIGH, N.C. - A federal judge sentenced a Nash County man to 20 years in federal prison for selling more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. On February 14, 2024, Kenneth Orlin Simmons, Jr., age 36, pleaded guilty to these crimes.

"Drug dealers flood our communities with deadly methamphetamine and arm themselves with guns to violently carry out their trade. Criminals like this Big Shark Bad Boy pose a serious threat to public safety," said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. "This sentence sends a clear message: if you poison our communities and endanger the lives of our children and families, you will sit in a federal prison for a long time. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to shut down these operations, clean these villains off our streets, and protect the citizens."

"Drugs destroy lives and tears apart communities, and when traffickers arm themselves, the danger only grows. I'm proud of the work our team put into holding this individual accountable and ensuring he can no longer victimize our citizens. A sincere thank you to the U.S. Attorney's Office, DEA, and the ATF for their hard work with this case," said Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone.

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, in July 2022, Simmons sold over a kilogram of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Nash County. The Nash County Sherriff's Office along with the DEA later obtained a search warrant for Simmons residence. During that search, law enforcement seized 10 kilograms of methamphetamine, nearly 1,000 grams of marijuana, a stolen Glock .40 caliber handgun, a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber handgun, an AR-15 rifle, a 29-round magazine with 22 .40 caliber rounds, and a 96-round drum magazine.

Simmons was previously convicted of felonies including two counts of felony abduction of children, and also of two counts of sexual battery.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, Aria Q. Merle prosecuted the case. The Nash County Sheriff's Office, the Warren County Sheriff's Office, the DEA, and the ATF investigated the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-00015.