Drug Dealer Sentenced To More Than 15 Years In Prison
STATESVILLE, NC. - Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina announced that Travis Donnell Knox, 34, of Statesville, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Statesville today to 188 months imprisonment for trafficking in “crack” cocaine. U.S. Attorney Tompkins is joined in making today’s announcement by Rodney G. Benson, Special Agent in (SAC) of the Atlanta Field Division of DEA and Chief Tom Anderson of the Statesville Police Department.
On April 20, 2010, a federal grand jury indicted Knox for seven counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, commonly known as “crack” cocaine. According to filed court documents and evidence presented at Knox’s sentencing hearing, Statesville Police Officers working with the DEA made undercover purchases of crack cocaine from Knox on seven separate occasions at various locations in Statesville. During two separate undercover operations, law enforcement was able to purchase in excess of 15 grams of crack cocaine from Knox. On June 30, 2011, Knox pled guilty to all seven counts.
Knox’s sentence was enhanced because of his prior felony convictions, which makes him a career offender under the United States Sentencing Guidelines. Knox has been in local federal custody in the Western District of North Carolina since he was arrested in April 2010. Upon designation of a federal facility, Knox will be transferred into custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
The investigation was handled by the DEA’s Charlotte District Office and the Statesville Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dana Washington and J. George Guise of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte. United States v. Knox; Case Number 5:10-cr-19-RLV.
DEA Atlanta’s Field Division’s SAC Rodney G. Benson encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.justthinktwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov.
