WILMINGTON, N.C. – A La Grange, North Carolina man, Osvaldo Fuentez-Buentello, age 49, was sentenced yesterday to a total of 148 months in prison for 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, on February 19, 2020, a cooperating defendant in New Hanover County ordered a shipment of methamphetamine and cocaine from Buentello. In route from a stash house in La Grange, North Carolina, in Lenoir County, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Deputies tracked Buentello and stopped his Chevrolet truck as it entered New Hanover County. Buentello was the sole occupant of the truck. A K-9 unit responded, and the K-9 gave a positive alert for the presence of narcotics. Deputies searched the truck and found approximately 5 ounces of methamphetamine and 9 ounces of cocaine in a boot behind the passenger’s seat. A 9mm High Point handgun was found in the center console.
Following the traffic stop, law enforcement conducted a search of Buentello’s stash house in La Grange and found more than 400 grams of marijuana, more than 100 grams of cocaine and more than 28 grams of cocaine base (crack). Law enforcement also located more than $40,000.00. Buentello provided a statement to law enforcement following his arrest and indicated that he dealt in kilogram levels of cocaine for 8 years prior to his arrest and ounce levels of methamphetamine for several months prior to his arrest.
Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Murphy Averitt prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
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. 7:20-cr-00047-M.