3 MEN SNARED IN BIG MARIJUANA NET

Three Jacksonville men accused of helping bring nearly a ton of marijuana
into Onslow County were arrested Monday and Tuesday and charged with 45
counts of drug trafficking and conspiracy.

The arrests came after a yearlong investigation into a major drug
trafficking ring in the area by the Onslow County Sheriff's Department,
State Bureau of Investigation and Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Authorities seized more than 200 pounds of marijuana in the operation, but
tracked more than 2,000 pounds into the county, said Onslow County Sheriff
Ed Brown. He estimated the street value of the drugs to be nearly $5 million.

Brown said more arrests at least 100 charges spread among several
individuals are expected.

"When you remove, or stop, what is believed to be over a ton of marijuana
coming into a county . . . I think you have made a major dent in that kind
of traffic," Brown said.

"I think it is commendable to the agencies that, since our concerted
efforts have started, we are beginning to make the drug dealers a little
nervous," he said. "We want to continue in that effort."

Gary Dale "Red" Marshburn, 37, of 191 Trudie Lane; Patrick Fitzsimmons, 23,
of 601 Wolverine Place; and Russell Swanhart, 26, of Shadowridge Road were
arrested in the sting and held on a total bond of more than $137,000.

"There will be several more associates of those," Brown said. "They've been
identified and we'll be going for arrests on them."

Tuesday's announcement came almost four months after the three agencies
joined forces with the Jacksonville Police Department to form the Regional
and Multiple Agency Drug Task Force, a group designed to wage war against
drug manufacturing and distributing.

"This is the first major investigation that was taken on by the task

force, and has resulted in arrests of three individuals who not only dealt
with the drugs, they financed the operations," said Tony Cummings, a
spokesman for the SBI.

"We attempt to attack this problem by two sides supply and demand. We
obviously attacked the supply side during this operation," Cummings said.

"We went after people who financed the drug deals, that were responsible
for the trafficking phase."

Brown said the large amounts of marijuana coming into the county indicate
it is still a popular drug.

"It is still a drug of concern, even though it may have taken a back seat
to heroin, crack cocaine and cocaine," Brown said. "Any drug that alters
the mind and causes someone to behave in a devious or uncontrollable manner
is a concern."

Marijuana use is of particular concern to the Marine Corps, which began
taking steps in the late 1970s to eliminate the widespread use of the drug
from the Corps. For that reason, the NCIS is taking the situation personally.

"The NCIS has a vested interest in making sure that the Marine Corps is
drugfree," said Special Agent Neill Robins, a spokesman for the agency.
"That's our job, and this is an effort to do that."