FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
TUESDAY - December 8, 2009
DEFENDANT IN OPERATION FIRE ANTS SENTENCED
WILMINGTON - United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court today Senior United States District Judge James C. Fox sentenced ANTHONY WAYNE LEMMONDS, 41, of Magnolia, North Carolina, to 91 months’ imprisonment followed by five years supervised release.
On October 22, 2008, a Federal Grand Jury returned a Criminal Indictment. On September 9, 2009, LEMMONDS pled guilty to conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of a mixture of substance containing methamphetamine.
The investigation revealed that LEMMONDS was responsible for distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute more than 2,800 grams of methamphetamine in Eastern North Carolina between early 2008 and the date of his arrest on September 17, 2008.
This case was brought as a part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Operation entitled Fire Ants, investigating international and national importers and the multi-level distributors of methamphetamine. The organization is responsible for the importation and distribution of more than 100 kilograms of methamphetamine and several kilograms of cocaine into Eastern North Carolina since 2005. To date, a total of 16 people have pled guilty and been sentenced in federal court.
Mr. Holding commented, “Methamphetamine continues to plague our communities and poison our streets. As such, my office is proud to partner with dedicated law enforcement officers to attack this threat.”
Investigation of this case was conducted by the North Carolina States Bureau of Investigations; the Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the Lenior County Sheriff’s Office; the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office; the Beaullaville Police Department; the Pender County Sheriff’s Department; the New Hanover Sheriff’s Office; the Onslow County Sheriff’s Department; the Wilmington Police Department; and the North Carolina Department of Community Corrections. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Severo and Assistant United States Attorney Brian Meyers represented 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. 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.
