Sex Offender and Drug Trafficker Receives 10 Years in Prison

WILMINGTON, N.C. –  Roy Cox, 37, of Jacksonville, North Carolina, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release for three counts of distribution of crack cocaine, one count of possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine, and one count of failure to register as a sex offender.  On March 27, 2024, and June 27, 2024, Cox pled guilty to the drug charges and failure to register as a sex offender, respectively.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office received information that Cox was selling large quantities of cocaine in the Jacksonville area.  They further received information that Cox was involved in the transportation of controlled substances from Florida to the Eastern District of North Carolina.  During May 2023, law enforcement made three controlled purchases of crack cocaine from Cox in Jacksonville.  In June 2023, law enforcement received information that Cox was traveling from Florida back to Jacksonville.  On June 4, 2023, law enforcement arrested Cox when he arrived at his residence.  Law enforcement found a bag that contained 470 grams of cocaine in the car in which he was a passenger.

Cox has a prior conviction for a sex offense in Florida that required him to register as a sex offender.  Cox left the state of Florida to live in North Carolina without registering as a sex offender in North Carolina.  Cox had lived in North Carolina for more than a year at the time of his arrest.  The United States Marshal Service (USMS) had been independently investigating him for this at the time of his arrest in this case.

Michael F. Easley, Jr., 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation, USMS, the Jacksonville Police Department and the Onslow County Sheriff's Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo 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. 7:23-CR-113.