TEENS FACE ECSTASY CHARGES

NASHVILLE - Two Wilson teen-agers appeared Tuesday here in court to answer
charges that they were trafficking large amounts of ecstasy into Eastern
North Carolina.

Nash County deputies and Rocky Mount police combined to confiscate about
$35,000 worth of ecstasy during an undercover campaign that culminated this
past weekend. This is one of the largest ecstasy seizures in the Twin
Counties - if not the largest, authorities said.

Ricky Gene Watson Jr., 19, and Daniel Vernon Sheridan Wallace, 17, both
were charged with a myriad of trafficking violations, and both remain in
the Nash County jail - Watson under a $400,000 bond, and Wallace under a
$140,000 bond.

"It's an up-and-coming problem, although you do hear more about it in
college towns," said Nash County Sheriff Jimmy Grimes. "It's important for
people to see how available these drugs are. And from this amount we've
seized, it shows how available they are."

The investigation into Watson and Wallace started about two months ago,
Grimes said, and undercover officers bought ecstasy from Watson on two
separate occasions - once buying 150 pills and another time purchasing 200
pills.

On Friday, Watson and Wallace sold 600 ecstasy pills to officers, bringing
the total number of pills that law enforcement officers confiscated to 950
pills.

Along the way, Nash County deputies and Rocky Mount police received
assistance from the police departments in Kinston and Wilson, as well as
the Dare County Sheriff's Department, the N.C. National Guard narcotics
unit and state revenue agents.

Ecstasy, its scientific name is methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA, is
more well-known in North Carolina cities like Greenville, Raleigh and
Chapel Hill, where a higher number of college students live. But law
enforcement officials say ecstasy use in other areas is on the rise.

"I think it's more of a youth drug than an adult drug," Grimes said. "You
hear people talk about crack and powder cocaine and heroin - this drug is
just as bad."

Watson was charged with three counts of trafficking ecstasy by possession,
two counts of trafficking ecstasy by sale, two counts of trafficking
ecstasy by delivery, two counts of trafficking ecstasy by transportation
and one count of conspiracy to traffic ecstasy.

Wallace was charged with trafficking ecstasy by possession, trafficking
ecstasy by transportation, conspiracy to traffic ecstasy and maintaining a
vehicle for the purpose of storing a controlled substance. After the two
suspects were arrested Friday in Rocky Mount, Wilson police searched their
homes and found more drugs and a shotgun at Watson's residence. Wilson
police confiscated 17 grams of marijuana, 51/2 grams of powder cocaine and
the shotgun, with its serial number scratched off.

Wilson police charged Watson with possession with the intent to sell and
deliver marijuana and cocaine, possession of cocaine, sale and delivery of
cocaine, altering a serial number on a weapon and two counts of maintaining
a dwelling for the purpose of storing a controlled substance.

Grimes said he expects more arrests in this investigation.

"We're trying to move up to their supplier," Grimes added. "You don't just
buy that amount every day.

"Anybody who could come up with 600 pills could certainly come up with a
lot more from their supplier - whoever that might be."

Watson also has an extended criminal past that includes two years probation
for two 1998 convictions of breaking and entering in Wilson County.

In addition, Watson has numerous pending charges against him.

He is charged with common law robbery and assault with a deadly weapon,
stemming from an incident involving his girlfriend at a Sharpsburg motel.
Watson is accused of beating her with a pistol and stealing some money from
her while the couple was at the Starlight motel on U.S. 301, a Sharpsburg
police spokesman said.

His court date is set for July 11 in state District Court in Nash County.

Watson also is charged with driving while impaired, driving after consuming
alcohol by someone younger than 21 and speeding. He lost his license for 30
days after this arrest.

His court date for these charges is July 19 in Nash County.