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A Shallotte man was sentenced June 22 to 151 months in prison and three years of supervised release for trafficking cocaine and possessing a firearm after a felony conviction, according to a press release from the Department of Justice, Eastern District of North Carolina.

Dev Vontrai Bland, 29, pleaded guilty to distribution of a quantity of cocaine (Count One) and possession of a firearm by a felon (Count Five) on March 1, 2021.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Bland, sold cocaine to a confidential informant on several dates from August 1, 2019 to September 26, 2019.

Bland was arrested on November 14, 2019. “Agents then executed a search warrant at Bland’s residence and seized cocaine base (crack); marijuana; methamphetamine; drug packaging materials; currency; and a loaded 9mm handgun,” stated the release.

Due to Bland’s criminal history, he was determined to be a career offender, according to the release.

“This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach,” the release continued. “Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.”

G. Norman Acker III, Acting 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Lemmon prosecuted.

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