Brunswick County man sentenced on federal drug and gun charges

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A Shallotte man was sentenced in court on Wednesday to five and a half years in prison for drug and gun charges.

According to court documents, Anthony Junior Bell, 50, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and 28 grams or more of cocaine base (crack), possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and 28 grams or more of cocaine base (crack), and possession of a firearm by a felon on November 13, 2019.

On December 18, 2018, investigators with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) in Bolivia, performed a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Bell. A child was seated in the back seat next to Bell.

A K-9 unit provided a positive alert for the presence of drugs in the car. Investigators seized a set of brass knuckles, 34.38 grams of cocaine base (crack), and 15.89 grams of cocaine from Bell.

Bell admitted that over the prior six months, he had distributed approximately one kilogram of cocaine.

Bell also admitted that he had a firearm at his home in Shallotte. Agents went to that home and seized a .38 caliber handgun. Bell had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment, and so he was prohibited from possessing firearms.

On March 29, 2019, Bell was arrested. As he was being processed at the Brunswick County Detention Center, Bell removed 0.81 grams of heroin from his pants pocket and attempted to hide it by dropping it behind a computer at the intake desk.

This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).