Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan announced that a federal jury found Bruno Nascimento Brito, 36, of Canton, Ohio, guilty of possessing nearly 500 grams of meth and firearms violations on Wednesday, October 27, 2021.
Following a two-day trial, a jury convicted Brito on two counts of possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on October 8, 2020, law enforcement officers encountered Brito at a gas station in Canton via information that Brito utilizes the location to engage in illegal drug transactions. Officers searched Brito and discovered that he had in his possession a clear plastic bag containing approximately 110 grams of methamphetamine. Officers then transported Brito to the Canton Police Department, where he was searched a second time. This time, however, the bag of drugs was not found on Birto but rather hidden in the vehicle of the transporting officer.
Law enforcement officers then obtained and executed a search warrant at Brito’s residence in Canton and recovered a semiautomatic pistol with ammunition, roughly 378 grams of meth, digital scales, drug paraphernalia and approximately $8,600 in cash. Brito is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to previous convictions of burglary and aggravated drug trafficking in the Wayne County Court of Common Pleas.
Brito is scheduled to be sentenced on February 24, 2022 and faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years to life imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, MEDWAY, Canton Police Department, and Stark County Metro Narcotics Unit.