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Two Gastonia men get lengthy prison sentences for drug trafficking

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Two Gastonia men received more than 15 years in prison for their involvement in drug trafficking in Gaston County, according to the Western District of North Carolina.

Corey Dusean Edwards, 45, and Caleb O’Brian Kendrick, 31, were each sentenced to serve 188 months -- more than 15 years -- and five additional years of supervised release, for their separate involvement in trafficking drugs.

Edwards was convicted for conspiracy to distribute and the possession with intent to distribute of cocaine, crack cocaine and cocaine base, as well as possession of a firearm by a felon.

According to court documents, from 2018 to 2020, Edwards was responsible for trafficking more than a kilogram of cocaine in Gaston County. Authorities seized cocaine, other drugs, a stolen firearm and $1,723 in cash from Edwards’ home during the investigation.

Edwards was sentenced as a career offender due to his multiple previous drug convictions.

Separately, Kendrick was also convicted for conspiracy to distribute and the possession with intent to distribute of cocaine, crack cocaine and cocaine base, as well as possession of a firearm by a felon.

Kendrick engaged in drug trafficking activities in Gaston County between 2016 and 2019, court documents said. Investigators recovered narcotics and firearms from Kendrick’s, as well as evidence of his membership in the Bloods gang.

In a court hearing earlier this week, the judge lengthened Kendrick’s sentence due to his previous convictions for drug trafficking, armed robbery, burglary, kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon, among other things.

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