RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced today to 480 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fifty grams or more of methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute fifty grams or more of methamphetamine and violent crimes in aid of racketeering (VICAR) for conspiring to kill a rival Eight Trey Gangster Crip (ETGC). On May 5, 2021, Deandre Earp pled guilty to all charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Earp, after being tased and assaulted by a rival gang member on Quarry Street in Raleigh in July 2019, attempted to retaliate by planning his murder with other ETGC associates. Earp and another co-defendant then got into a car and were driving to kill the rival gang member when the Raleigh Police Department initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Earp was the passenger. Earp and his co-defendant both had loaded firearms with them in the car and were taken into custody, thereby preventing the potential murder of a rival Crip gang member. Earp’s arrest was based on electronic, physical, and documentary evidence. Earp was also responsible for conspiring to distribute more than 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine into the Raleigh area.
For approximately two decades, ETGCs have operated in North Carolina, including in the North Carolina prison system. The ETGC, a wholly illegitimate criminal enterprise, has a reputation for a propensity for violence that includes several homicides, aggravated assaults and robberies. Members and associates of ETGC have been involved in numerous violent crimes that have resulted in the loss of life, decrease in quality of life, and damage to societal norms in and around the City of Raleigh. The ETGCs committed acts of violence to maintain membership and discipline, both within the gang and against non-gang members. The ETGCs are recognized as a national criminal street gang originating out of Los Angeles, California.
In his North Carolina leadership position, Earp was the second in command in the ETGC organization and directed members of his gang in selling methamphetamine in Raleigh. Earp was heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of the gang and discussed strategy, policy and decision-making with both the leader of North Carolina and ranking ETGC members in Los Angeles, California. Earp also trained less experienced ETGC members and associates on distribution of narcotics without being detected by law enforcement.
The prosecution of Earp was a part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation (OCDETF) targeting violent gang members and drug traffickers in Raleigh, North Carolina and Los Angeles, California. This investigation spanned into the Los Angeles, California area where kilogram quantities of illicit drugs were distributed into Raleigh, North Carolina utilizing a complex network of high-ranking ETGC’s from L.A. who have also been indicted in this case.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Raleigh Police Department led the investigation with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Raleigh/Wake City-County Bureau of Identification and United States Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly L. Sandling prosecuted the case.
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 Case No. 5:19-cr-00395-D-2.
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