RALEIGH, N.C. – Israel Ramos Ponce, 24, of Winston Salem was sentenced to yesterday 151 months in prison for trafficking methamphetamine. On May 18, Ponce pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine and Distribution of 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, and the Winston-Salem Police Department received information that Ponce was part of a large-scale drug trafficking organization in 2018. The organization operated in Winston-Salem, and it distributed significant quantities of crystal methamphetamine to the Goldsboro area. During the investigation, law enforcement learned that Ponce was a courier who assisted co-defendant Kelvin Vincente Noyola, a/k/a “Tripp,” in the distribution of significant quantities of methamphetamine to customers of the organization. Over the course of the conspiracy, Ponce was responsible for assisting in the distribution of at least 933.5 grams of crystal methamphetamine.
Co-defendant, Kelvin Vicente Noyola, a/k/a “Tripp,” was also charged and convicted in this investigation. Noyola pled guilty on July 25, 2022, to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine and Distribution of 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine, aiding and abetting. Noyola’s sentencing is pending.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Court Judge James C. Dever II. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, and the Winston-Salem Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer C. Nucci prosecuted the case.
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 number 5:22-CR-00010-D.