A 54-year-old Roanoke Rapids man will have a federal detention hearing in Greenville next Thursday after his Wednesday arrest on an outstanding criminal complaint which court records show was lodged by an agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Troy Darnell Covington had his first appearance in Greenville today and United States Magistrate Judge Kimberly A. Swank ordered him into temporary detention until his May 30 detention hearing which is set for 10 a.m.
His arrest Wednesday came around 3:45 p.m. when agents of the Halifax Regional Drug and Gang Task Force executed a narcotics search warrant in the area of Southgate Drive.
Captain Scott Hall of the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office said the search warrant was the result of a drug investigation.
A search of the residence yielded 2 ounces of powdered cocaine, fentanyl and three firearms.
He was transported to a federal holding facility for his initial appearance today in Greenville.
The complaint against Covington, according to the affidavit by the DEA agent, charges that on September 28 of last year Covington committed the federal offense of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
The DEA agent wrote that the sheriff’s office narcotics division in April of last year began receiving complaints that Covington was selling meth and fentanyl in and around Halifax County.
Controlled buys
On June 6 of last year local agents conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Covington using a confidential source. Covington and the source met at Walgreens and 53 grams of meth was sold.
The DEA agent wrote that a Facebook search warrant showed that Covington used his account to communicate with another account holder to buy methamphetamine with a purchase pattern of every week to two weeks with the amounts being anywhere from $1,500 to up to $4,000.
On June 9 of 2023 there was the purchase of a quarter ounce of crack cocaine, the transaction again occurring in Walgreens parking lot.
On June 27 of 2023 there was the purchase of 2 ounces of meth in the Walgreens parking lot.
A July 20, 2023, transaction culminated in the sale of about 84.83 grams of meth with a confirmed purity of 97 percent. This transaction occurred in the ECU Health North employee parking lot.
On September 28, 2023, at the Shell station on Highway 48 there was to be a sale of 7 grams of meth but Covington only provided 3.5 grams. Covington returned to his residence to get the remaining weight. With the meth he got from his residence the total weight ended up being about 6.99 grams with an estimated purity of about 100 percent.
This controlled purchase, along with the previous ones, and other information obtained in the investigation led agents to seek a search warrant.
Search warrant
That search warrant was executed around 3:30 the morning of September 29, 2023.
Covington, his girlfriend, and their children were located in the home. Covington was lying in a back bedroom and he and the other occupants of the residence were brought to the front yard.
Seized as a result of the search warrant execution were:
A 2005 Toyota Avalon
Blue iphone, white iPhone, black touchscreen phone, gray and black flip phone, three phones located on the bed side table and one in the bed where Covington was laying
$2,234 — the bulk of the cash was located in his pants pocket including $100 bills in possession from the controlled purchase earlier that day
$57 was located in the living room
An extended magazine containing 9mm bullets — located in the bed frame of the bed Covington was laying in
A small quantity of crack cocaine — located in the wallet of a pocketbook in the bedroom, which he said was his and not his girlfriend’s
A Springfield Armory .45-caliber handgun located on a shelf in the kitchen
In a backpack agents located the following:
720.7 grams of 96 percent pure methamphetamine as confirmed by the DEA Mid-Atlantic Laboratory
159 grams of cocaine as confirmed by a field test
139 grams of fentanyl as confirmed by a field test
Multiple bags used for packaging
A quantity of mannitol, a cutting agent which is commonly added to fentanyl
Black gun holster
Box of Hornady .45 bullets
Digital scale
Oxycodone pills
Following the search
The DEA agent wrote that once the search was complete agents walked out with the bookbag that contained the meth. “Covington stated, ‘What is in there? My work clothes?,’ indicating that it was his.”
While outside the home, the affidavit said Covington made statements to his girlfriend that he had been telling her that he had something to tell her about and that this — presumably the drugs in the home/dealing — was it, “but he knew she would kick him out if she knew all of that.” Agents asked the girlfriend whether she had any family to care for the children or they would need to contact DSS.
He asked what the girlfriend was being locked up for and an agent stated the crack cocaine in her purse. He immediately stated the crack cocaine was his and that he had hid it in the purse. “Covington also stated several times that he guessed he must have sold some drugs to someone who was snitching,” the affidavit said. “While being transported to jail (he) stated that there were about 1.5 lbs. of ‘Ice’ — methamphetamine — a hundred and something grams of ‘fent’ — fentanyl, and a hundred and something grams of ‘coke.’”
