Pink Hill Men Sentenced For Methamphetamine Possession & Firearm Offense

RALEIGH – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that in federal court yesterday Senior United States District Judge W. Earl Britt, sentenced RALPH EDWARD STROUD, 50, and LORNE HOWARD, 47, both of Pink Hill, North Carolina, to 132 months’ imprisonment followed by 5 years’ supervised release and 70 months’ imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release respectively.

June 1, 2015, HOWARD pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting.  On June 29, 2015, STROUD pled guilty to the same charge and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

According to the investigation, on August 15, 2013, law enforcement executed a search warrant at STROUD'S home and property.  Law enforcement detained STROUD and his girlfriend and discovered an active methamphetamine lab.  Within the lab, officers recovered at total 5 grams of pseudoephedrine,

1,017.79 grams of liquid containing methamphetamine, .82 grams of methamphetamine, empty pseudoephedrine blister packs, homemade ammonia condensers, propane tanks, sulfuric acid, lye, pill grinders, tubing, Coleman camp fuel, fertilizer, stripped lithium batteries, and home HcL generators.  A search of the residence recovered small amounts of unmeasured methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, five firearms, and ammunition.  Subsequent to his arrest, STROUD provided an unprotected statement acknowledging ownership of the firearms in his residence and the production of methamphetamine on his property. 

On August 19, 2013, HOWARD was arrested and provided an unprotected statement acknowledging his use of methamphetamine and that he was present with STROUD on August 15, 2013, while methamphetamine was cooked.  HOWARD admitted smoking methamphetamine with STROUD approximately 40 times and purchased it from STROUD approximately 20 to 30 times.

The criminal investigation of this case was conducted by the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office, Duplin County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Wells handled the prosecution on behalf of the Eastern District of North Carolina.