Gonzalez-Lopez sentenced in federal court
NEW BERN - United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court in New Bern, North Carolina on July 5, 2012, Jamie Gonzalez-Lopez 33, of Mexico was sentenced by United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan to 135 months imprisonment. Gonzalez-Lopez had previously plead guilty to Conspiracy to possession with intent to distribute and distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
On July 16, 2011, an agent of the government ordered a kilogram of cocaine from Gonzalez-Lopez. Gonzalez-Lopez and another individual delivered the cocaine to an area in Ash, North Carolina. Gonzalez-Lopez hid the cocaine in a field prior to completing the sale of cocaine. Law enforcement arrested Gonzalez-Lopez and his co-defendant after they had been shown the buy money.
Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Viper was sent into the field to locate the cocaine which Gonzalez-Lopez had hidden. K-9 Viper found the cocaine; tragically, Viper ripped open the package of cocaine and inadvertently ingested a quantity of the cocaine. K-9 Viper was killed while performing his duties.
The investigation reveled that Gonzalez-Lopez was responsible for distributing more than 5 kilograms of cocaine.
This case was brought as a part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Operation entitled BuggSnatcher, investigating the out of state importers and multi-level distributors of cocaine and crack cocaine into the Brunswick and New Hanover counties.
Investigation of this OCDETF case is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office, the Wilmington Police Department and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Severo represents the government. Mr. Severo is a prosecutor with the New Hanover District Attorney’s Office. District Attorney Ben David has assigned him to the United States Attorney’s office to prosecute federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force criminal matters.
