Nash County drug dealer gets 18 years in prison

A convicted drug dealer from Rocky Mount was sentenced in federal court Thursday to 18 years in prison.

Kendwall Kendell “Showboat” Barnes, 36, also received 10 years of supervised release following his prison term, which was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge James C. Dever III. In January, Barnes pleaded to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine.

Barnes had been selling crack cocaine in Nash County since 1997, according to States Attorney Thomas G. Walker.  In February 2010, officers from the Rocky Mount Police Department used confidential informants to purchase more than 100 grams of crack cocaine from two mid-level dealers in Rocky Mount. An investigation revealed Barnes as the supply source for the dealers. Law enforcement said he distributed more than 17 kilograms of the drug in Nash County since 1997.