Marcus Antonio Blanks, Narcotics Trafficking, NC 2019

RALEIGH – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced today that Marcus Antonio Blanks, 32, from Saint Pauls, North Carolina, has been sentenced to 168 months in federal prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.

Blanks pleaded guilty on February 6, 2019, to charges including Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Cocaine; Possession with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Cocaine, Cocaine Base (Crack), and Marijuana; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.

In February 2018, an FPD detective was tipped off by a confidential informant that Blanks was selling large quantities of cocaine in Robeson County. The CI made several purchases from Blanks, including a transaction where he cooked cocaine into crack for the CI.

Edward Jones, who supplied Blanks with drugs and has since pleaded guilty to federal drug charges, was also implicated in the investigation. Blanks was arrested after a search warrant led to the discovery of substantial amounts of drugs and weapons at his residence.

This case was prosecuted under the Take Back North Carolina Initiative, a program dedicated to reducing violent crime and drug trafficking in the region.

The Fayetteville Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Scott A. Lemmon handled the prosecution.