Bolton Drug Dealer Sentenced

RALEIGH, NC—United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court today United States District Judge James C. Dever III, sentenced LAMONT JAMES STEVENSON, 36, of Bolton, North Carolina, to 120 months’ imprisonment followed by five years’ supervised release.

A Superseding Criminal Information was filed on April 28, 2010. On May 3, 2010, STEVENSON pled guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute a quantity of marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United Stats Code, Section 924(c)(1).

On December 8, 2008, based upon information received that occupants of a specific vehicle would be transporting an amount of Ecstasy pills, the Wilmington Police Department stopped the vehicle. STEVENSON was the driver. STEVENSON fled on foot and was apprehended after a foot chase. A passenger in the car was found to be in possession of a quantity of Ecstacy pills.

The Wilmington Police Department, based upon information obtained during this investigation, searched a residence in Wilmington that was associated with STEVENSON and the other persons in the car. Officers found the following items: Approximately 8 kilograms of marijuana, 2,000 ecstasy pills, $27,620 in United States currency and 11 firearms. The marijuana, United States currency and five of the guns were found in a hidden trap in the floor. Two of the handguns contained a high capacity magazine. The investigation revealed that the controlled substances were being transported from New York for distribution in Wilmington, North Carolina.

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, heroin, ecstasy and gang activity associated with this distribution. This organization is responsible for the importation and distribution of more than 240 kilograms of cocaine, more than 70 kilograms of crack cocaine, 3 kilograms of heroin, 20,000 Ecstacy pills and several kilograms of marijuana into Eastern North Carolina since 2003. To date, 43 people have been sentenced in federal court as a part of this operation.

Investigation of this case was 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 Office; the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office; the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office; the Pender County Sheriff’s Office; 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.