By WECT Staff | January 28, 2021 at 4:38 PM EST – Updated January 28 at 4:38 PM
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – A Lenoir County man who was arrested in New Hanover County on methamphetamine- and cocaine-related charges was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison.
Osvaldo Fuentez-Buentello, 49, of La Grange, was sentenced on Wednesday to charges of conspiracy to possess and possess with the intent to distribute five (5) kilograms or more of cocaine, fifty (50) grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, and twenty-eighty (28) grams or more of cocaine base (crack).
In addition, Buentello was sentenced for possession with intent to distribute fifty (50) grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, a quantity of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, a cooperating defendant in New Hanover County ordered a shipment of meth and cocaine from Buentello on Feb. 19, 2020. While he was en route, New Hanover deputies tracked Buentello and stopped him as he entered the county.
A K-9 gave a positive alert to the presence of narcotics, and a subsequent search of the vehicle yielded 5 ounces of meth and 9 ounces of cocaine which were hidden in a boot behind the passenger’s seat. A 9mm High Point handgun was found in the center console.
A search of Buentello’s stash house in La Grange resulted in the seizure of 400 grams of marijuana, 100 grams of cocaine, more than 28 grams of crack cocaine, and $40,000 in cash.
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