Spokane – A Kennewick man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
Anthony Joseph Cortinas, 49, was sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Edward F. Shea after previously pleading guilty to the charge on February 21, 2017.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Cortinas was stopped by the Kennewick Police Department in the early morning hours of May 29, 2015 for a traffic violation. During the stop, officers obtained consent to search the vehicle and found multiple bags in the rear passenger seat.
One of the bags contained a safe disguised as a dictionary, which held a distribution quantity of methamphetamine. Cortinas was later identified as the owner of the safe and its contents. He was subsequently charged in Benton County Superior Court and released after posting bail.
On September 9, 2015, Cortinas was again stopped by the Kennewick Police Department for a traffic violation. He was arrested on an unrelated matter, and a search warrant was later obtained for the vehicle, where officers found another safe containing a distribution quantity of methamphetamine, which was later determined to belong to Cortinas.
At sentencing, Judge Shea noted Cortinas’ lengthy history of drug distribution offenses and the impact such crimes have on the local community.
Acting United States Attorney Joseph H. Harrington commended the Kennewick Police Department and the FBI Special Agents for their efforts in investigating the case.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (Richland, Washington) and the Kennewick Police Department conducted the investigation, which was prosecuted by Laurel J. Holland, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Related Federal Cases
- Jorge Narvaez, Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Wyoming 2023 · Florida
- Brandon Jevar Pittman, Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Oklahoma 2014 · Washington
- David Vance Taylor, Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Montana 2016 · Washington
- Anthony Perry, Crack Cocaine Possession with Intent to Distribute, New York 2023 · Puerto Rico
- James Brett John, Methamphetamine Possession with Intent to Distribute, Idaho 2016 · Idaho
Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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