RALEIGH, N.C. – In a major blow to the streets of Elizabeth City, Quayshaun Laquan Banks, 31, a validated member of the United Bloods Nation street gang, has been sentenced to 114 months in prison for distributing cocaine.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Banks was investigated by the Albemarle Drug Task Force after information indicated that he was distributing controlled substances in Northeastern North Carolina.
Utilizing a confidential informant, the Task Force conducted a series of controlled purchases of cocaine from Banks. Subsequent investigation revealed that Banks had distributed almost two kilograms of cocaine in and around Elizabeth City from October 2017 through April 2018, and then again from November 2019 through March 2020.
Banks was incarcerated for an unrelated conviction during the intervening time. He is a convicted felon, having convictions for interfering with an electronic monitoring device, possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of marijuana, and breaking and entering. He also has numerous misdemeanor convictions.
U.S. Attorney Michael Easley made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the Elizabeth City Police Department, the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office, and the Dare County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Dodson prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The case is part of an ongoing effort to disrupt and dismantle the United Bloods Nation street gang, which has been involved in significant violent and narcotics-related activity in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Banks will serve his 114-month sentence in federal prison. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.
Defendant Information:
- Defendant: Quayshaun Laquan Banks
- Criminal Charges: Distributing cocaine
- City and State: Elizabeth City, North Carolina
- Arrest Date: September 19, 2022
- Sentence: 114 months in prison
Related Federal Cases
- Deandre Earp, Methamphetamine and VICAR Distribution, North Carolina 2021 · California
- David Alexander Moralez, Jr., Methamphetamine Trafficking, North Carolina 2023 · New York
- Robert Allen McClinton, Drug Trafficking, North Carolina 2023 · Connecticut
- Carlos Green, Drug Trafficking, North Carolina 2020 · North Carolina
- Jeremia Medina, Cocaine Trafficking, Massachusetts 2021 · Massachusetts
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Drug Trafficking|Organized CrimeDrug Trafficking|Organized CrimeDrug Trafficking|Organized CrimeDrug Trafficking|Organized Crime