Raleigh Eight Trey Gangster Crip Sentenced to 24 Years for Racketeering-related Violence and Drug Trafficking

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced to 288 months in prison for the distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and violent crimes in aid of racketeering (VICAR) for conspiring to kill a rival Eight Trey Gangster Crip (ETGC). On August 2, 2021, Dexter Maxwell pled guilty to charges related to this investigation. Maxwell was identified as the leader of ETGC throughout the North and South Carolina with direct ties to gang hierarchy in Los Angeles, California. 

"We are dismantling violent gang and drug traffickers across North Carolina with our expansive network of law enforcement partners.  Maxwell was a well-known gang leader in the Carolinas who directed violence around Raleigh, while trafficking narcotics that fueled addiction throughout the region,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.  “This operation brings an end to Maxwell’s racketeering enterprise and dismantles his network, with over 20 co-conspirators convicted, and their leader spending the next 24 years in federal prison.” 

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Deandre Earp was tased and assaulted by a rival gang member on Quarry Street in Raleigh in July 2019. Earp then coordinated with Maxwell, Clinton Basco, and Rayquan Wiggins to retaliate by planning a murder of the rival gang member. Maxwell directed his underlings to commit the murder and, as the group were driving to kill the rival gang member, Raleigh Police Department personnel initiated a vehicle stop. Earp and Basco both had loaded firearms with them in the car and were taken into custody, thereby preventing the potential murder of a rival Crip gang member.

“Drug trafficking networks bring serious threats to a community, including gun violence,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “To address that threat, ATF partners with local, state and other federal agencies to tackle this problem from every direction. When we remove the individuals leading gangs and drug trafficking networks from our communities, we can have a major impact on the level of gun violence and violent crime.” 

Maxwell was well-connected in the ETGC criminal world where he conspired with Troy Davis, a high-ranking ETGC member from Los Angeles to acquire large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to distribute throughout the Raleigh area. Once the illegal drugs arrived, Maxwell was responsible for overseeing the distribution operation and collecting drug proceeds to funnel back to California.

For approximately two decades, ETGC has operated in North Carolina, including in the North Carolina prison system.  The ETGC is recognized as a national criminal street gang originating out of Los Angeles and has a reputation for a propensity for violence that includes several homicides, aggravated assaults, and robberies.  Members and associates of ETGC have been involved in numerous violent crimes that have resulted in the loss of life, decrease in quality of life, and damage to societal norms in and around Raleigh.  The ETGC members committed acts of violence to maintain membership and discipline, both within the gang and against non-gang members. Maxwell has a lengthy, violent criminal history which had resulted in his rise to leadership and connection with ETGC leadership in Los Angeles, California.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Notably, more than 20 individuals have been indicted because of this investigation, including Deandre Earp, who was sentenced in January 2022 to 40 years in prison; Troy Davis, who was sentenced in November 2022 to 35 years in prison; Chad Murray, who was sentenced in May 2023 to 17 years in prison, Clinton Basco, who was sentenced in April 2023 to 11 years in prison; and Rayquan Wiggins, who was sentenced in February 2023 to 8 years in prison.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Raleigh Police Department led the investigation with assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Raleigh/Wake City-County Bureau of Identification and United States Marshals Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly L. Sandling prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.  5:19-cr-00395-D-1.

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