Pembroke Man Sentenced for Fentanyl and Firearm Crimes

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Pembroke man was sentenced yesterday to 160 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  On May 3, 2021, Patrick Warren Privette pled guilty to the charges.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on October 15, 2020, officers with the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Patrick Privette’s residence after learning he supplied drugs to an individual which led to an overdose. Inside the defendant’s bedroom, officers located a quantity of fentanyl, and approximately 50 prescription pills. Inside an air vent near the nightstand, officers recovered a Walther .380, model PK380, semi-automatic handgun. Officers arrested Privette and transported him to the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office where he waived his Miranda rights and gave a statement. Privette stated that the drugs found in the house were his and that he had been dealing heroin and fentanyl. He also admitted to possessing the gun and needing it for protection. Privette is also a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms. Another witness confirmed that Privette had been dealing fentanyl for months.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad E. Rhoades prosecuted 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. 7:20-CR-00193-M.