Evergreen Reporter

A federal jury has convicted Tamarcus Shaquan Ellis, a 34-year-old resident of Goldsboro, on three charges related to methamphetamine trafficking. Ellis faces a potential life sentence when he is sentenced in December.

Court records and trial evidence indicate that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) began investigating Ellis in early 2021 as part of an operation targeting crystal methamphetamine dealers in Goldsboro and Jacksonville. By late March 2021, several high-level traffickers had been arrested, prompting the ATF to focus on Ellis' drug trafficking organization.

Throughout the spring of 2021, investigators used a confidential source to make controlled purchases from Ellis' organization. In response to the arrests of other traffickers earlier that year, Ellis took extensive measures to avoid direct involvement in transactions. He conducted counter-surveillance at buy locations for law enforcement presence and made last-minute changes to these locations to minimize detection risk. Additionally, he employed low-level associates to deliver drugs while he monitored the deals from nearby. These associates testified during the trial that Ellis supplied them with drugs for delivery.

Ellis was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fifty grams or more of methamphetamine and two counts of distributing five grams or more of methamphetamine.

The investigation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative aimed at identifying, disrupting, and dismantling high-level drug traffickers and criminal organizations through a multi-agency approach involving federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced the conviction following U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan's acceptance of the verdict. The case was investigated by ATF agents along with task force officers from the Goldsboro Police Department and Jacksonville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nick Hartigan and Dennis Duffy prosecuted the case.

Further information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or through PACER by searching Case No.5:21-CR-273-FL.