NEW BERN – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that in federal court, United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced CURTIS PATRICK HODGES, 38, of Angier, NC, to 90 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release.

HODGES was named in an Indictment filed on March 21, 2019 charging him with Possession with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Cocaine, Cocaine Base (crack), and Marijuana, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime on March 15, 2018.  On August 15, 2019, with a written plea agreement, HODGES pled guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Cocaine, Cocaine Base (crack), and Marijuana and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. 

According to the investigation, in January of 2018, investigators with the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) conducted two controlled purchases of cocaine and cocaine base (crack) on January 22, 2018, and January 24, 2018.

On March 15, 2018, the HCSO’S Special Response Team executed a search warrant at the residence of HODGES on Newbury Drive in Angier, North Carolina.  Investigators made contact with HODGES and placed him into handcuffs while the residence was searched.  During the search, investigators located a total of $29,836.06 in United States currency, a loaded Smith and Wesson Shield .40 caliber pistol, a Glock Model 26 .9mm handgun, 2 bags of cocaine, 1 bag of cocaine base, 2 digital scales, a glass mason jar containing 28 grams of marijuana, a shipping box containing stolen body armor, and .40 caliber ammunition.  Laboratory testing of the controlled substances which were recovered revealed 12.28 grams of cocaine base and 40.92 grams of cocaine.

Based upon the preceding, HODGES is accountable for 9.05 kilograms of marijuana, 40.92 grams of cocaine, and 12.28 grams of cocaine base, which have a converted drug weight of 61.09 kilograms.

This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.  For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.  

This case is also 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.  The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina implements the PSN Program through its Take Back North Carolina Initiative.  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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Daniel William Smith represented the government.