FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

TUESDAY - February 12, 2008

WILMINGTON MAN SENTENCED TO 300 MONTHS
FOR COCAINE DISTRIBUTION

RALEIGH - United States Attorney George E. B. Holding announced that in federal court United States District Judge James C. Dever, III, sentenced MICHAEL KENTA DAVIS, 29, of Wilmington, North Carolina, to 300 months’ imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base.

A federal Grand Jury returned a Criminal Indictment on July 11, 2007. On April 30, 2007, detectives with the New Hanover Sheriff’s Department arranged to purchase cocaine from DAVIS. When DAVIS arrived at the agreed upon location in Wilmington, North Carolina, he was arrested and officers found 34 grams of crack cocaine on him and an additional 17 grams in his vehicle.

Records indicate that DAVIS has six prior felony convictions for drug offenses and two prior convictions for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

United States Attorney George Holding stated, “This defendant was prosecuted eight times in state court. Yet, those prosecutions did not deter him from possessing and selling illegal drugs. Judge Dever’s 300-month sentence will shut the revolving door on this defendant and removes an incorrigible drug dealer from the streets of Wilmington.”

Investigation of the case was conducted by the New Hanover Sheriff’s Department. The United States was represented by Timothy Severo. Special Assistant United States Attorney 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 (OCDETF) criminal matters. This has been made possible by a grant funded by the Governor’s Crime Commission and the New Hanover County Commissioners.

News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce within 48 hours of release.