A former police lieutenant is facing prison after federal prosecutors claimed he assisted his son in trafficking a variety of drugs in North Carolina, including cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl.
According to prosecutors, his son will also face prison time.
Charles Page, a 13-year law enforcement veteran, was caught sharing confidential information with his son, Treyvon Ladonte Page, about drug trafficking investigations involving him, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
He resigned from the Ayden Police Department after being discovered to have “167 grammes of pure methamphetamine; 72 grammes of cocaine; 15 grammes of cocaine base (crack); and three shotguns” inside his home during the execution of a search warrant in 2022, prosecutors said.
Charles Page, 52, has been sentenced to four years in prison for drug trafficking crimes, according to a January 14 news release from the United States Attorney’s Office.
“This police lieutenant, a 13-year veteran of the force, used his official position to gain access to confidential databases and share intelligence to advance his son’s drug trafficking,” U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley Jr. said in a statement.
“We won’t tolerate public officials breaching the public’s trust to help criminals, whether they are family or not.”
Charles Page previously pleaded guilty to using a communication facility to commit a felony, according to court documents.
On Jan. 15, his defence attorney, Ania Gabriella DeJoy of Polk Law PLLC in Raleigh, declined a McClatchy News request for comment.
Treyvon Page, 29, was sentenced to ten years in prison for drug trafficking in 2021 and 2022, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
According to court records, he pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute 50 grammes or more of methamphetamine, a quantity of cocaine, and a quantity of cocaine base (crack) before being sentenced.
His defence attorney did not respond to a request for comment on January 15.
The investigation
According to prosecutors, Treyvon Page came to law enforcement’s attention in July 2021 after authorities received information about him dealing cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana in Pitt County.
Authorities purchased heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine from Treyvon Page in 15 “controlled purchases” between November 2021 and August 2022, according to prosecutors.
According to prosecutors and court documents, when law enforcement noticed Treyvon Page visiting his father’s home in Grifton on the day of these controlled purchases, the home was discovered to be a location used for drug trafficking activities.
According to prosecutors, interviews with cooperating sources revealed that Charles Page was aware of his son’s drug trafficking and supported his efforts.
Charles Page repeatedly searched his son’s name and the names of his “drug dealing associates,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to prosecutors, he would inform his son if there were any active warrants for his arrest and would share private information about investigations with him, including the names of victims.
Law enforcement sources reported According to prosecutors, Treyvon Page regularly requested access to confidential information from his father.
WITN reported that the FBI raided Charles Page’s home in September 2022. Pitt County records reviewed by the outlet revealed that his son was living with him at the time.
“Many thanks to the FBI and the countless other honest officers who worked tirelessly to bring this scheme to light,” Easley told reporters.
Ayden Police Chief David Dempsey did not immediately return a request for comment.
Ayden is approximately a 90-mile drive south-east of Raleigh.
