Thirty-one-year old Justin “Raw” Fite, a Kings Mountain-based member of the Pagans Motorcycle Club, was sentenced to 27 years in prison for armed drug trafficking, federal prosecutors said Friday.
On June 7, Fite pled guilty. He was among 20 defendants who were charged as part of “Operation Ice Diamond,” a law enforcement effort targeting the leader of the motorcycle club, Chirstopher Lamar Baker. Last week, Baker was sentenced to 75 years in prison for drug trafficking, firearm and money laundering.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Raleigh Police Department.
Fite and Baker both were involved in the club, which law enforcement says was a criminal enterprise that was active throughout the United States.
Officers were aware he was transporting drugs for Baker, prosecutors said. During a traffic stop in July 2021, Fite was detained and police dogs searched his motorcycle. In the search, police discovered two kilograms of crystal methamphetamine.
Fite admitted he was a member of the motorcycle club and was federally arrested at his home in Kings Mountain on March 18, 2022.
“This case is yet another example of the coordinated action that law enforcement is taking to address organized crime and stem the flow of methamphetamine into our community,” U.S. Attorney Michael Easley said. “It should serve as a warning to gangs and other armed drug traffickers.”
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