Tamarcus Shaquan Ellis, 34, has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for his role in a large-scale methamphetamine distribution conspiracy and his involvement in the murder and dismemberment of a confidential informant.
Ellis was convicted on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting. His lengthy sentence was influenced by his prior criminal history and the evidence linking him to the brutal murder of a confidential informant during a federal investigation.
The investigation began in early 2021 as part of an ATF operation aimed at targeting methamphetamine traffickers in Goldsboro and Jacksonville, North Carolina. Ellis operated a meth distribution network, and agents used a confidential informant to purchase methamphetamine from his operation. Ellis attempted to evade detection by using subordinates to deliver drugs and changing transaction locations.
In addition to his meth trafficking activities, Ellis was implicated in the murder of the confidential informant. On May 24, 2021, a woman’s burned torso was discovered in Goldsboro. Surveillance footage and evidence linked Ellis to the crime, showing his vehicle at the scene where the body was disposed of and set on fire. Blood and a bullet found at Ellis’s residence were matched to the informant’s DNA, further confirming his involvement.
As part of the investigation, officers seized $63,000 in cash, two loaded firearms, and additional evidence from Ellis’s residence and rap studio.
