NEW BERN — The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that today, United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced Travis Ladon Fulton,
42, of Fayetteville to 117 months’ imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release. On October 17, 2018, FULTON pled guilty to three counts: possession with intent to distribute quantities of heroin, cocaine, and marijuana; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
In August 2017, the Fayetteville Police Department learned through a confidential informant that FULTON was selling controlled substances out of a house in Fayetteville. Over the course of the next few weeks, law enforcement successfully directed the informant to make three controlled buys of drugs from FULTON at the residence – the first two of heroin and the third of cocaine.
On October 5, 2017, members of the Fayetteville Police Department executed a search warrant at the residence. Hidden in a small popcorn machine, officers found quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. Officers found several other drug-related items throughout the kitchen: a digital scale with cocaine residue, Suboxone and Fentanyl patches, a razor blade knife with cocaine residue, and both unused and torn plastic sandwich bags. In a tool bag by the front door, officers found a loaded Glock .40 caliber handgun. The confidential informant had described seeing FULTON with the gun during one of the controlled buys. It had previously been reported to law enforcement as having been stolen.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Since 2017 the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Fayetteville Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). Assistant United States Attorneys Jake D. Pugh represented the government.
Eastern District of North Carolina News -- Press Release U.S. Attorneys Office Department of Justice Eastern North Carolina
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Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Eastern District of North Carolina
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 7, 2019
Fayetteville Man Sentenced on Drug and Gun Charges Following Search Warrant