Accused drug dealer left his address on pizza box used to deliver meth in NC, feds say
The address left on a pizza delivery box led investigators to an accused meth dealer, federal prosecutors say. Now a North Carolina man is headed to prison.
A judge sentenced Jerrell Taylor, 36, of Kinston to serve 15 years in prison following an investigation tying him to meth trafficking, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced in a July 20 news release.
In one instance, authorities said a pizza delivery box used to drop off the drugs still had his address on it.
Onslow County Sheriff’s Office detectives bought 449 grams of meth from Taylor for $6,500 as part of “a controlled purchase” on July 24, 2019, prosecutors wrote, citing court documents. A “middleman” on a motorcycle delivered the drugs in a pizza box that listed Taylor’s home address.
Authorities said the middleman met up with Taylor after the deal was done.
“Law enforcement observed the meeting and stopped both individuals,” the release reads. “Taylor was found in possession of money from the controlled purchase.”
Taylor later fled to Las Vegas after he believed he was under federal investigation, prosecutors said. Authorities arrested him there in April 2020.
“Through our collaboration across federal, state and local law enforcement, we are taking dangerous and illegal drugs off the streets and putting dealers behind bars,” U.S. Attorney Michael Easley said in a statement.
The sentencing comes a year after Taylor pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute 500 grams or more of a substance containing methamphetamine, prosecutors said. He was accused of receiving and delivering more than 18 kilograms of meth to addresses in Kinston and New Bern starting in December 2018.
Taylor then had the drug money wired to California, where he received his supply, according to the release.
Co-defendant Carlos Green used the same supplier and was convicted on drug trafficking charges and sentenced to 30 years in prison, prosecutors said.
Kinston is about 80 miles southeast of downtown Raleigh.
This story was originally published July 21, 2022 at 11:26 AM with the headline "Accused drug dealer left his address on pizza box used to deliver meth in NC, feds say."