On Thursday, US Attorney Thomas G. Walker announces that seven individuals were sentenced for their involvement in a methamphetamine distribution organization.
All 7 were part of the same drug trafficking organization operating in Johnston, Wilson, and Wayne Counties. The organization called themselves “The Hill-Top Mafia” due to the close affiliation they have with methamphetamine, guns, and violence.
William Bryan Hill, 32, of Kenly was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised parole.
Samuel Wayne Hill, 26, of Smithfield received 480 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release.
William Joseph Hill, 28, of Princeton received 175 months and a lifetime of supervised release.
Terry Matthew Hall, 21, of Wilson was sentenced to 225 months and a lifetime of supervised release.
Michael Eugene Custer, 40, of Princeton was sentenced to 123 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
Dolly Wadsworth Evans, 46, of Smithfield received 157 months and 10 years of supervised release.
Samantha Leigh Ross-Varner, 24, of Goldsboro was sentenced to 180 months imprisonment followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
Agents said the suspects were involved in the production of methamphetamine between 2010 and 2014.
Manufacturing methamphetamine requires pseudoephedrine, found in over-the-counter cold medicine, as well as other commonly found ingredients including lithium (usually stripped from batteries), plastic tubing, dry ice, Coleman fuel, muriatic acid, fertilizer, and liquid drain cleaner. The majority of these items can be purchased at retail stores such as Lowe’s Home Improvement Center and Wal-Mart.
The investigation established that the Hill Top Mafia centered around the Brogden area east of Smithfield. A home and property owned by Dolly Evans was a hub of this conspiracy, along with the residences of Samuel Hill, Jody Hill, and related family properties.
Evans, a methamphetamine user, allowed her property to be used by the others for making and using methamphetamine.
Samuel Hill, Jody Hill, Bryan Hill, Custer, and Hall were methamphetamine cooks.
Ross-Varner was a methamphetamine user and cook and she purchased pseudoephedrine and other items for use in the production of methamphetamine. During a portion of the conspiracy, Ross-Varner lived with Evans and dated Samuel Hill.
The case was investigated by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Wells prosecuted the case for the government.
