United States Drug Enforcement Administration

NEW BERN, N.C. - United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court today that United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced Norris Willis, 42, of Bayboro, North Carolina, to 123 months of imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release. Willispreviously pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and 280 grams or more of crack cocaine.

On October 21, 2008, Williswas arrested in South Carolina after he and his co-conspirators purchased 1 kilogram of cocaine from a confidential informant. On November 30, 2010, the Pamlico County Sheriff's Office used another confidential informant to buy 4.8 grams of cocaine (crack) from Willis. The investigation revealed that Williswas accountable for the distribution of 100 kilograms of cocaine, 1.48 kilograms of cocaine (crack) and 27 kilograms of marijuana from 1992 until November 30, 2010.

The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task (OCDETF) Operation "No Quarter" was designed to attack the infrastructure of the Mexican Drug Trafficking (DTO), including those of the Los Zetas, La Familia, Gulf and Sinaloa drug cartels, operating not only in the Eastern District of North Carolina, but throughout North Carolina, the United States and Mexico. These DTO's are responsible for the importation of large quantities of cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and methamphetamine into the United States, as well as the related remittance of illegal drug proceeds back into Mexico.

The investigation spanned ten years and five North Carolina counties. As part of the investigation, over 100 individuals have been charged by indictment or criminal information in the Eastern District of North Carolina and state courts. Law enforcement officials seized drugs with a street value $4.6 million, including 127 kilograms of cocaine, 53 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, 160 pounds of marijuana, and 32 grams of heroin. Additionally, $2.2 million in U.S. Currency, 35 firearms and 35 real properties valued at $1.5 million were seized by law enforcement authorities.

Investigation of this case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement (DEA) - Raleigh and Greensboro Resident Offices, the New York Field Division and numerous other DEA offices in the United States and Mexico; the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and (ATF) - Raleigh and Wilmington offices; the United States Marshals Service; the United States Immigration and Customs (ICE), Homeland Security (HSI) - Raleigh and Tampa, Florida offices; the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation; the North Carolina National Guard; the North Carolina State Highway Patrol; the Greenville Police Department; the Pitt County Sheriff's Office; the Pamlico County Sheriff's Office; the Lenoir County Sheriff's Office; the Craven County Sheriff's Office; the Carteret County Sheriff's Office; the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office; the New Bern Police Department, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office; the Person County Sheriff's Office; the Farmville Police Department; the Goldsboro Police Department; the Rocky Mount Police Department; the Burlington Police Department, the Alamance County Sheriff's Office, and the Wilson Police Department.

The federal prosecutions were handled by Special Assistant United States Attorneys Glenn Perry and Augustus Willis, IV. Mr. Perry is a prosecutor with the Pitt County District Attorney's Office. Mr. Willis is a prosecutor with the Carteret, Craven and Pamlico Counties District Attorney's Office. District Attorneys Kimberly Robb and Scott Thomas have assigned Mr. Perry and Mr. Willis to the United States Attorney's Office to prosecute federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force criminal matters. Their assignments to the United States Attorney's Office have been made possible by grants funded by the Governor's Crime Commission.

The DEA encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA's interactive websites at www.justthinktwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov.