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A Rocky Mount man was sentenced March 20, 2023 to 264 months in prison for possession of marijuana and cocaine and for possession of multiple firearms in furtherance of a drug distribution offense, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Eastern District of North Carolina.

Charven Keivon Gorham pleaded guilty to the charges on October 20, 2022.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Rocky Mount Police Department officers received information that Gorham, “a validated Blood gang member, was selling drugs out of his residence in Rocky Mount. Officers executed a search warrant at Gorham’s residence on May 27, 2020 after having conducted several controlled purchases of drugs from that location,” stated the release. “During the search, officers seized marijuana, cocaine, over $13,000 in U.S. Currency, and two handguns. On October 18, 2021, a second search warrant at Gorham’s residence led to the seizure of another handgun and additional marijuana and cocaine. At the time of these search warrants, Gorham had multiple prior convictions for drug and weapons offenses in Nash County.”

“This is a welcomed conviction and should serve as a reminder to those who would involve themselves in gun crimes and or attempt to sell drugs in Rocky Mount, that this criminal activity will not be tolerated,” said Rocky Mount Police Chief Robert Hassell. “We value our partnerships with our law enforcement partners and will take cases federally whenever possible to ensure these offenders are taken off our streets. We will continue to focus on drug, guns, and gangs within the city and make our city one of the safest places to live.”

The conviction comes as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. “OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks,” stated the release.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Rocky Mount Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Webb prosecuted.

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