Georgia Narcotics Trafficker Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison

NEW BERN, N.C. – Jesus Anibal Gutierrez, a 27-year-old resident of College Park, GA was sentenced to 12.5 years in federal prison for distributing crystal methamphetamine in Goldsboro, NC. Gutierrez pled guilty on November 12, 2024.

According to the court documents and other information presented in court, the investigation began in July 2023, when law enforcement learned that a Mexico-based drug trafficker had arranged to send significant quantities of narcotics to the Eastern District of North Carolina.  Law enforcement learned that a courier working on behalf of the Mexican drug trafficker was scheduled to arrive in the Goldsboro, NC area with a large shipment of methamphetamine on October 21, 2023.

With the assistance of a confidential informant, law enforcement located the courier’s car and conducted a traffic stop.  A K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics inside the car, and law enforcement seized approximately 20.74 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, as well as three cellular telephones.  Gutierrez was a passenger in the car and admitted to law enforcement that he coordinated the shipment of narcotics and was traveling to the Goldsboro area to deliver them.  The driver, Rosendo Salazar, pled guilty to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine on March 10, 2025.   

Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan.  The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Goldsboro Police Department investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer C. Nucci prosecuted the case.   A copy of this press release is located on our website. 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 5:24-CR-00149.

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