Harnett County Crack Dealer Sentenced to Over 10 years

RALEIGH – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced JOHN ANDREW PIPKIN a/k/a “Puppy”, age 59 of Erwin, North Carolina, to 130 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years supervised release.

On December 12, 2017, PIPKIN was named in a twelve-count indictment returned by a grand jury sitting in the Eastern District of North Carolina. The indictment charged PIPKIN with Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With the Intent to Distribute Twenty-Eight (28) Grams or more of Cocaine Base (Crack) from February 2016 to September 20, 2016, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846; multiple counts of Distribution of a Quantity of Cocaine Base (Crack), in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1); Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A); and multiple counts of Distribution of Twenty-Eight (28) Grams or more of Cocaine Base (Crack), in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1).

On April 9, 2018, pursuant to a written plea agreement, PIPKIN pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With the Intent to Distribute Twenty-Eight (28) Grams or more of Cocaine Base (Crack) and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.

The investigation revealed that from February 2016 through September 20, 2016, PIPKIN distributed over 234 grams of crack cocaine from a residence that he maintained in Erwin, NC. Law enforcement made numerous controlled purchases of crack cocaine from the defendant, and on many occasions, the defendant was armed with a firearm.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Lawrence Cameron represented the government in this case.