Wilmington Man Sentenced to 19 ½ Years for Illegal Drug Trafficking

RALEIGH, NC—United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court on June 12, 2009, United States District Judge James C. Dever sentenced TIMOTHY HINES, 27, of Wilmington, North Carolina, to 235 months’ imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release for possession with the intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base (crack).

On June 11, 2008, a Federal Grand Jury returned a one-count Criminal Indictment charging HINES and on October 7, 2008, he pled guilty to the charge.

On December 6, 2007, an agent for the government ordered four and a half ounces of crack cocaine from HINES. Detectives with the New Hanover County Narcotics Unit attempted to arrest HINES when he arrived in the area of Castle Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. HINES, after observing the detectives, accelerated his vehicle and lost control of it, colliding with the front steps of an occupied family residence. Upon searching the vehicle, officers found 123 grams of crack cocaine. As a result of the investigation, it has been determined that HINES was responsible for distributing two and one half kilograms of crack cocaine from September, 2007, until he was arrested on this federal charge.

Mr. Holding commented, “We continue to see the benefits of law enforcement’s investigation in this case. To date, they have disrupted the work of an organization responsible for distributing more than 400 pounds of cocaine, nearly 100 pounds of crack cocaine, and large quantities of heroin and ecstasy. The lengthy sentence in this case is a fitting conclusions to this defendant’s criminal career.”

This case was brought as a part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Operation entitled Don Quixote, investigating importers and multi-level distributors of Cocaine,“Crack”Cocaine and Heroin into Eastern, North Carolina. The organization is responsible for the importation and distribution of more than 200 kilograms of Cocaine, 45 kilograms of “Crack” Cocaine, 1 Kilograms of Heroin and 20,000 Ecstacy pills being imported and distributed into Eastern, North Carolina since 2003.

Investigation of this case is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Federal Bureau of Investigations Safe Streets Task Force (Wilmington), the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, the Wilmington Police Department, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Department, the Onslow County Sheriff’s Department, the Duplin County Sheriff’s Department, the Pender County Sheriff’s Department, the Holly Ridge Police Department, the Top Sail Police Department and the Surf City Police Department. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Severo represents the government. Mr Severo is a prosecutor with the New Hanover District Attorney’s Office. District Attorney Ben David has assigned him to the United States Attorney’s office to prosecute federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force criminal matters. This has been made possible by a grant funded by the Governor’s Crime Commission and the New Hanover County Commissioners.