'FAT JOE' RECEIVES 27 YEARS

RALEIGH - One of the Roanoke-Chowan area's largest and most notorious drug
dealers will be out of action for a long, long time.

After pleading guilty last year to federal drug charges, Joseph Lee "Fat
Joe" Lassiter was sentenced to 27 years behind bars here last week. United
States Attorney John Stuart Bruce, who represents the Eastern District of
North Carolina, made the announcement, one that also included an additional
five years of supervised release for Lassiter following his active term.

In addition to the sentence, Chief United States District Judge Terrence W.
Boyle ordered that Lassiter must forfeit $250,000 to the United States.

Due to the abolishment of federal parole in 1987, Lassiter will have to
serve the entire 27-year sentence.

Lassiter, age 30, listed his address as Kelford. However, he maintained a
dwelling in Maney's Neck Mobile Home Park near Murfreesboro. It was there,
on the night of Jan. 24, 2001, that a multi-agency team of law enforcement
officers arrested Lassiter on the charges of possession with intent to sale
and deliver crack cocaine, trafficking cocaine by possession and by
transportation. He was immediately jailed under a $1.5 million bond.

Those agencies involved in bringing Lassiter to justice were the Hertford
County Sheriff's Office, the Murfreesboro Police Department and the
Roanoke-Chowan Narcotics Task Force. Due to the diligence of those
agencies, a strong case was built against Lassiter, thusly leading him to
enter a guilty plea on federal charges on Aug. 27 of last year. He pled
guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute in
excess of 50 grams of cocaine base (crack). Lassiter also agreed to forfeit
$250,000 in U.S. currency, which he had used to commit the controlled
substance violations or which he had derived from the proceeds of the
violations.

"To let the public know exactly how big of a dealer that Fat Joe was, we
have interviews with co-conspirators and others that suggest he was a
four-kilo per month dealer," said Frank Timberlake, Commander of the R-C
Narcotics Task Force. "Other interviews from those who eyewitnessed drug
transactions involving Fat Joe said that the drug sales ranged anywhere
from $13,000 to $24,000 per day."

Nearly $25,000 in cash was seized at the time of Lassiter's arrest last year.

According to the information and evidence presented in court, Lassiter -
from early 1996 until the time of his arrest - led an organization that was
responsible for the distribution of significant quantities of crack cocaine
in Hertford, Bertie, Gates and Northampton counties.

"The more drugs you are involved with, the more time you get behind bars,"
said Eric Evenson, an Assistant U.S. Attorney assigned to the Organized
Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. "Lassiter was involved with a large
quantity of crack cocaine, therefore he received a lengthy sentence."

Evenson praised the work of the local law enforcement officials in the
Roanoke-Chowan area.

"Excellent investigative work was the key to building an extremely strong
case against Joseph Lassiter," he stressed. "The Task Force, the Sheriff's
Office, the local (Murfreesboro) police and Mrs. (Valerie) Pittman, the
District Attorney, worked very well together in this case as well as
working well with us. That co-operation between agencies should send a
powerful message to other drug traffickers. With that type of combined
effort, I sure wouldn't want to be a drug trafficker in that part of the
state."

Murfreesboro Police Chief Darrell Rowe stressed that the way the
investigation was handled was the key in landing the long prison sentence.

"We didn't rush our investigative work," he stated. "We felt it was better
for the community to not rush in and try to pin a smaller charge on
Lassiter. Instead, we were able to collect information and build a strong
case over a long period of time. By the length of Lassiter's sentence, it's
extremely obvious that we did things the right way."

Rowe also praised the teamwork among the agencies as well as issuing a
warning to those who are still involved in the illegal drug trade.

"Due to budget constraints, law enforcement agencies in our area may be
understaffed, but when we work together, it multiplies our strength. That
strength will be used again and again against those who think they are too
smart to be arrested. I'll simply say to those who think they can outsmart
us, your days are numbered."

Hertford County Sheriff Juan Vaughan said that his department would not
rest easy just because Lassiter is behind bars.

"His arrest and sentencing does not stop the sale of drugs here in Hertford
County," stressed the Sheriff. "We will continue to work and build cases
against drug traffickers and we solicit the help of our citizens in order
to put these drug dealers in jail. Citizen input really helped in the
Lassiter case and I urge our citizens to continue to call us with
information concerning other drug dealers. With their help, we can make
Hertford County a safe place to live, work and play."

Pittman praised Timberlake and Vaughan for their diligent work to eradicate
the drug trade in Hertford County and surrounding areas.

"The state arrest and subsequent federal arrest and conviction of Joseph
"Fat Joe" Lassiter was the result of hard work and dedication of the
Roanoke-Chowan Drug Task Force, the Hertford County Sheriff's Department
and other local law enforcement agencies," stated Pittman, who serves as
District 6B Attorney. "Vaughan and Timberlake should be commended on an
outstanding job. I am thankful to have law enforcement officers who are
willing to work day and night to protect our community from large scale
drug dealers like Lassiter."

Timberlake closed by echoing the sentiments of Vaughan and Rowe concerning
their continued efforts to eradicate the drug problem throughout the
Roanoke-Chowan area.

"Through the cooperation of other agencies, we were able to get Fat Joe off
the street and now he'll be serving a lengthy prison term, which he
deserves," said Timberlake. "I hope that this statement will be read by
other drug dealers who choose to take over good neighborhoods and make them
their safe haven for the sale of drugs. I hope they realize that the next
name they read may be theirs. We will continue to seek information and
build strong cases against illegal drug dealers because we are dedicated to
improving our communities and the way of life for our law-abiding citizens."

In addition to the local agencies, other investigation of this case was
conducted by Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Drug
Enforcement Administration and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.