FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

THURSDAY - October 6, 2011

OPERATION DON QUOXITE PRODUCES ANOTHER CONVICTION, SENTENCE OF 192 MONTHS IMPRISONMENT

RALEIGH - United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court today in Raleigh, North Carolina, STEVEN SHOWN MARSHALL, 33, of Wilmington, North Carolina was sentenced by United States District Court Judge James C. Dever III to 192 months imprisonment followed by 5 years supervised release. MARSHALL had previously plead guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack) and money laundering to conceal the proceeds of drug trafficking.

The investigation by federal and local authorities uncovered that MARSHALL had distributed more than 46 kilograms of cocaine and 4 kilograms of crack cocaine from 2005 until 2010 with a substantial portion of it being distributed in New Hanover County North Carolina.

This case was brought as a part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Operation entitled Don Quoxite, investigating importers and multi-level distributors of cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and gang activity associated with this distribution. This organization is responsible for the importation and distribution of more than 450 kilograms of cocaine, more than 155 kilograms of crack cocaine, 3 kilograms of heroin, 20,000 Ecstacy pills and more than 240 kilograms of marijuana into Eastern North Carolina since 2003. To date, 56 people have been sentenced in federal court as a part of this operation.Investigation of this OCEDTF case is being conducted by the

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; the Federal Bureau of Investigations Safe Streets Task Force (Wilmington); the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations; the Wilmington Police Department; the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office; the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office; the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office; the

Pender County Sheriff’s Office; the Holly Ridge Police Department; the Top Sail Police Department and the Surf City Police Department. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Severo represents 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.

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