Drug Operation Don Quixote Lands 52nd Defendant in Federal Prison

RALEIGH—United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court yesterday TREMELL RASHAUD MCKINNEY, 35, of Wilmington, North Carolina, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge James C. Dever III, to 288 months’ imprisonment followed by five years’ supervised release.

On May 26, 2010, a Federal Grand Jury returned a Criminal Indictment charging MCKINNEY. On September 7, 2010, MCKINNEY pled guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 50 grams or more of cocaine base.

During the course of a long-term investigation being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Street Task Force, the Wilmington Police Department and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office into drug trafficking activity and gang violence; law enforcement obtained information and evidence from multiple sources that MCKINNEY was responsible for distributing large scale amounts of cocaine and cocaine base into Eastern North Carolina. Some of the narcotics were being distributed to gang members in the New Hanover County area. The investigation revealed that MCKINNEY was responsible for distributing more than 60 kilograms of cocaine, 10 kilograms of crack cocaine and 225 kilograms of marijuana and had sources of supply in Texas and Georgia.

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 400 kilograms of cocaine, more than 150 kilograms of crack cocaine, three kilograms of heroin, 20,000 Ecstacy pills and more than 240 kilograms of marijuana into Eastern North Carolina since 2003. To date, 52 people have been sentenced in federal court as a part of this operation.Investigation of this OCEDTF 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 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.