On Dec. 18, a North Carolina man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for dealing methamphetamine. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the 25-year-old defendant was arrested in April after police received a report of the smell of marijuana coming from a room at a Comfort Inn on the 1200 block of Burkemont Avenue in Morganton. Officers from the Morganton Department of Public Safety searched the room and found 2 kilograms of methamphetamine, five firearms, ammunition, body armor and more than $18,800 in cash. The defendant was arrested and eventually convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The defendant, a resident of Lenoir, has 17 previous felony convictions. They include assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, fleeing to elude arrest, breaking and entering a place of worship and possession with the intent to sell a controlled substance. According to media reports, the defendant’s mother was also arrested on drug trafficking charges and pleaded guilty to a drug conspiracy charge. She has not yet been sentenced.
Drug trafficking charges can lead to harsh consequences in the event of a conviction. Common penalties include decades in prison, expensive fines and the seizure of personal property. However, a criminal defense attorney could represent a defendant in court and work to protect his or her future. After reviewing the details of the case, the attorney could develop a defense strategy, challenge the prosecution’s evidence and attempt to get the charges dismissed. In certain circumstances, legal counsel could also negotiate a plea bargain that allows the defendant to plead guilty to reduced charges, which could lead to a more lenient sentence.
Source: The News Herald, “Man sentenced in federal drug case“, Dec. 18, 2018