North Carolina man sentenced to over 10 years in prison for cocaine charges

Published 7:57 am Wednesday, August 18, 2021

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Marcus Robinson, 45, of Winnabow, North Carolina, was sentenced on August 13, 2021 to 128 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 280 grams or more of crack cocaine and 500 grams or more of cocaine and possess with the intent to distribute 280 grams or more of crack cocaine and 500 grams or more of cocaine, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina.

According to court documents, evidence presented in court and other documents, on April 17, 2018, a New Hanover County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a car that Robinson was a passenger in. “Following a K-9 alert on the car for the presence of narcotics, law enforcement found more than 6 ounces of cocaine and 2 ounces of crack cocaine underneath the hood of the car,” stated the release. “Law enforcement uncovered that Robinson was bringing the drugs from New Haven, Connecticut to New Hanover County.

“The investigation was able to establish that Robinson had delivered more than a kilogram of cocaine and crack cocaine combined from November 2017 until his arrest in April to Eastern North Carolina,” the release continued.

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The investigation was part of OCDETF Operation Angry Penguins. “An Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets,” stated the release. “This OCDETF focuses on a Multi-State Drug Trafficking Organization and Gang Activity distributing large amounts of heroin and cocaine into Eastern North Carolina.”

G. Norman Acker III, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office and the Holly Ridge and Wilmington Police Departments investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted.

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