Anchorage, Alaska B U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that an Anchorage man has been sentenced by United States District Judge Timothy M. Burgess to serve 120 months in prison for selling crack cocaine while in possession of a firearm.
Larry Aron Meeks, Jr., 25, of Anchorage, Alaska, previously pled guilty to conspiring with others to sell significant quantities of crack cocaine for profit. As part of his plea, Meeks admitted selling crack cocaine on multiple occasions. He also admitted that, on one such occasion, he possessed a firearm in support of his drug business. Upon being released from prison, Meeks will be on supervised release for five years.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie C. Courter, who prosecuted the case, in 2014 Meeks sold crack cocaine to a confidential informant who was working for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). First, in April 2014, Meeks sold the informant 13.1 grams of crack cocaine. Approximately one month later, Meeks again sold crack cocaine to the informant, this time selling him 44.8 grams of crack cocaine in exchange for $3,750 in cash. During that deal, Meeks had a.40 caliber handgun strategically placed on top of the refrigerator in his kitchen where the deal took place.
Finally, in June 2014, during the execution of search warrants at Meeks’ residence, Meeks was found in possession of still more drugs, drug paraphernalia, and multiple firearms. Meeks had two guns in his bedroom next to more than $4,500 in cash. Agents recovered additional firearms in other locations, - one of which was loaded with a round in the chamber, digital scales, multiple cell phones, and a Coca-Cola bottle that had been modified to contain a hidden compartment. Inside the bottle, Meeks had stored bags of crack cocaine and heroin.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Burgess focused on the seriousness of Meeks’ offenses as well as the need to protect the public from future crimes and the importance of deterring others from committing similar crimes.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Loeffler praised the work of the law enforcement agencies involved in investigating the case, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
