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Repeat Federal Offender Sentenced to 24 Years in Prison after Passing Kilogram of Cocaine to Car with Three Children Publisher: U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of North Carolina Dateline: Raleigh, North Carolina 
Date: 3 December 2024 Subjects: American Government , Crime
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“Greene is a frequent-flyer federal felon with direct ties to Mexico based drug traffickers,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. “We won’t allow habitual narcotics traffickers to operate in our state and will be relentless in pursuing cases all the way to the foreign supplier.”
In January 2023, law enforcement identified Greene meeting with drug couriers in Wilmington. Subsequently, they continued their investigation and conducted a surveillance operation on March 21, 2023. During this operation, they observed Greene travel to a parking lot at a Wilmington mall, where he received a package from a drug courier. Shortly after receiving the package, Greene handed it to a person in another vehicle. The driver of that vehicle was Greene’s girlfriend, Three minor children were present in the vehicle with Greene’s girlfriend. A search of the girlfriend’s vehicle revealed that the package given to her by Greene contained a kilogram of cocaine.
Law enforcement then executed a search warrant at Greene’s apartment. At this location, they seized a loaded firearm, bulk cash, drug packaging materials, four cell phones, and varying amounts of psilocybin gummies and marijuana products—further investigation of the seized phones uncovered direct communication with drug traffickers based in Mexico.
Greene’s criminal history includes two prior federal convictions: one in 2013 for cocaine trafficking that resulted in an 84-month sentence and another in 2017 for possessing drugs while in federal prison, leading to an additional 24-month sentence. Additionally, Greene has four state felony convictions for drug trafficking.
“This career criminal is a tragic example of individuals who have wanton disregard for the safety of our community, including children as was the case in this investigation,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “DEA’s efforts in bringing him to justice will ensure he spends well deserved time in prison.”
“I am extremely proud of the men and women of the WPD for their tireless work on this case. As is evident with his prior criminal record, the suspect continues to disrespect the law and disregards the safety of others. In this case, he also endangered several children. Our agency will not tolerate criminals who seek to place the stability of their illegal operations over the well-being and safety of our citizens. I want to thank all of those who worked on this case and appreciate the continued efforts by U.S. Attorney Easley to ensure a lengthy prison sentence that fits the crime,” said Wilmington Police Chief Donny Williams.
Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Lemons prosecuted the case.
This prosecution was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, 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.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for the case number 7:23-CR-00103-D.
Updated December 3, 2024