NEW BERN - United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court today United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced EDDIE O’NEAL BALLARD II, 37, of Vanceboro, North Carolina, to 105 months imprisonment followed by 5 years supervised release. 

A two-count Criminal Information was filed on December 1, 2011, charging conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and 28 grams or more of cocaine base (crack) and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. On January 18, 2012, BALLARD pled guilty to the charges.

According to evidence presented in Court, law enforcement received information about the drug trafficking activities of BALLARD in the Craven County area.  In June, 2011, law enforcement arranged a controlled buy in which BALLARD agreed to purchase 10 kilograms of cocaine.  When BALLARD arrived to purchase the cocaine with approximately $250,000, BALLARD was arrested.  Law enforcement also learned through the investigation that BALLARD’s drug trafficking activities extended back to 1995.  BALLARD was held responsible for distributing 85 kilograms of cocaine and 90 grams of crack cocaine.

OCDETF Operation “No Quarter” was designed to attack the infrastructure of the Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations (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 10 years and 5 North Carolina counties. As part of the investigation, over 90 individuals have been charged by indictment or criminal information in the Eastern District of North Carolina and state courts. In addition, $1.5 million in U.S. Currency, 127 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of $3.8 million dollars, 41 pounds of crystal methamphetamine with a street value of $650,000, 160 lbs of marijuana with a street value of $170,000, 32 grams of heroin, 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 Administration - 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 Investigation Division; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Raleigh and Wilmington offices; the United States Marshals Service; the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (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.

Special Assistant United States Attorney Glenn Perry is assigned as prosecutor.  Mr. Perry is a prosecutor with the Pitt County District Attorney’s Office. District Attorney Clark Everett 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.

 

 

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