Wilmington Drug Dealer Sentenced

RALEIGH—United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court on May 1, 2012, ARTHUR CURTIS KING, 51, of Wilmington, North Carolina, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever III, to 132 months’ imprisonment.

A federal grand jury returned a criminal indictment on August 10, 2011. On November 29, 2011, KING plead guilty to possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.

Beginning in May, 2010, KING began traveling to New York to acquire heroin for distribution. KING provided the heroin to local gang members who then distributed it in the Wilmington, North Carolina, area. The investigation revealed that KING was responsible for distributing at least 25,000 bags of heroin.

On September 20, 2010, members of the Wilmington Police Department working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Safe Streets Task Force) and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation received information which led them to believe that KING would be delivering a large quantity of heroin into Wilmington. KING was stopped in a cab on his way from Richmond, Virginia. Law enforcement found 12,000 bags of heroin in his luggage. During the course of the investigation it was determined that KING had made four such trips to New York between May and the time of his arrest.

This case was brought as a part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Operation entitled WoofPack, investigating importers and multi-level distributors of heroin, powder and crack cocaine, and gang activity associated with this distribution.

Investigation of this OCEDTF case is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (Safe Streets Task Force); the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives; the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation; the Wilmington Police Department; the Greenville Police Department; and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office. 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.