United States Drug Enforcement Administration

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Cormelius Smith, 32, a prolific methamphetamine trafficker in Wadesboro, N.C., was sentenced to 151 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release today, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Smith’s co-conspirator, Jack Kelly Leak, 49, also of Wadesboro, was ordered to serve 121 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his role in the drug distribution ring.

Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which oversees the Charlotte District Office, and Chief Thedis Spencer of the Wadesboro Police Department join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.

According to information contained in court documents and court proceedings, between September 2021 and April 2022, the DEA began an investigation into Smith’s methamphetamine trafficking activities in and around Wadesboro. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement determined that Smith was a prolific drug trafficker responsible for supplying methamphetamine to a network of local dealers in Anson County, including Leak. Court records also show that Smith’s trafficking activities extended beyond Anson County, to include Union, Richmond, Stanly, and Mecklenburg Counties.

According to documents filed with the court, over the course of the investigation Smith engaged in multiple drug transactions with confidential sources cooperating with law enforcement. On December 8, 2021, law enforcement executed an arrest warrant at Smith’s residence, from which they seized methamphetamine, digital scales, firearms and more than $23,000 in drug proceeds. At today’s sentencing hearing, the Court determined that Smith, assisted by Leak and others, was responsible for trafficking more than two kilograms of methamphetamine.

Smith and Leak pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and distribution of methamphetamine. The defendants are currently in federal custody. They will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended the DEA and the Wadesboro Police Department for their investigation of the case, and thanked the Anson County Sheriff’s Office, the Union County Sheriff’s Office, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, and the Marshville Police Department for their assistance.

U.S. Attorney King also thanked the District Attorney’s Office in Prosecutorial District 21 which encompasses the counties of Anson and Richmond, the District Attorney’s Office in Prosecutorial District 20B which has jurisdiction over Union County, and the District Attorney’s Office in Prosecutorial District 28, which includes Stanly County.

Assistant United States Attorneys Regina Pack and Christopher Hess of the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The DEA encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.JustThinkTwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com, www.CampusDrugPrevention.gov, and www.dea.gov . Also follow DEA Atlanta via Twitter at @DEAATLANTADiv

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