Winterville Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Heroin Distribution and Possession of Ammunition by a Convicted Felon

GREENVILLE – The United States Attorney’s Office announced that today in Federal court, Senior United States District Judge Malcolm J. Howard sentenced MAURICE EUGENE MOORE, JR., 27, of Winterville, North Carolina to 300 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release.

MOORE was named in a three-count Indictment filed on April 20, 2016, and pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With the Intent to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin and Possession of Ammunition by a Felon on December 5, 2016.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) initiated an investigation in 2013 in Jacksonville, North Carolina, after they received information that identified MOORE as a local heroin distributor and a pimp. The information revealed that MOORE was promoting prostitution at the nearby U.S. Marine Corps bases.

The investigation revealed that MOORE purchased heroin from an individual in New York and used women as drug mules to bring the narcotics back to North Carolina. Multiple witness statements revealed that MOORE was frequently seen with firearms; and that he was in possession of both assault rifles and heroin in the hotel rooms and other locations he used to stash his drugs. The investigation further revealed that MOORE got the prostitutes he was pimping addicted to heroin to facilitate the distribution of the drug.

This case was investigated by the NCIS, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office, the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, the Pamlico County Sheriff’s Office, the Havelock Police Department, and the Jacksonville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Lemmon is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.