Related Federal Cases
Meth Trafficker Nabbed in Gaston County Bust
A federal jury in Charlotte has convicted Cristian Cabrera-Rivas, 39, of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr. presided over the two-day trial, which ended yesterday. Cabrera-Rivas is currently in federal custody and faces 10 years to life in prison for each offense at sentencing. A sentencing date for Cabrera-Rivas has not been set.
According to filed court documents and evidence presented at trial, Cabrera-Rivas and two other individuals, Marco Ramos-Garcia and Silvia Hernandez-Iturralde, were involved in a conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine in and around Gaston County.
Trial evidence established that in early January 2019, Cabrera-Rivas arranged to sell two kilograms of methamphetamine for $24,000. Cabrera-Rivas directed Ramos-Garcia to transport the methamphetamine from Texas to Gastonia, N.C., for the sale.
On January 7, 2019, Cabrera-Rivas and Ramos-Garcia met at a restaurant in Gastonia and then drove separately to the sale location. At that location, law enforcement found Ramos-Garcia and Hernandez-Iturralde in a van, along with two kilograms of methamphetamine, a firearm, and cocaine. Law enforcement arrested Cabrera-Rivas on scene following a brief foot chase.
Ramos-Garcia and Hernandez-Iturralde have already been sentenced after pleading guilty to federal drug offenses. Ramos-Garcia was sentenced to 132 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Hernandez-Iturralde was sentenced to 37 months in prison and two years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Murray thanked ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in North Carolina, the Gaston County Police Department, the City of Gastonia Police Department, the Mt. Holly Police Department, and the Waxhaw Police Department for the investigation and coordination in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Lindahl is prosecuting the case.
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Cybercrime|Public Corruption|Weapons|Human Trafficking|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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