Winston-Salem Man Sentenced to 17.5 Years for Trafficking Methamphetamine and Cocaine

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Maximino Sandoval Penaloza, a 44-year-old resident of Winston-Salem, has been sentenced to 210 months in prison for the distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in the Wilmington area.  Penaloza pled guilty on March 7, 2023.

According to the court documents and other information presented in court, in 2020 law enforcement investigated drug trafficking activities occurring in the Winston-Salem and Wilmington areas of North Carolina.  Ultimately, law enforcement learned that a drug trafficking organization was distributing large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine in various communities in the Eastern District of North Carolina.  Penaloza was identified as a member of this organization.

From approximately December 7, 2020, through December 16, 2020, Penaloza communicated with an undercover law enforcement agent regarding the purchase of methamphetamine.  On December 16, 2020, Penaloza directed a courier to meet with the undercover law enforcement agent to deliver 191.66 grams of methamphetamine.  During additional conversations with the undercover agent, in March of 2021 Penaloza admitted having one kilogram of cocaine for sale.  Later, in September of 2021 the undercover agent purchased 519.1 grams of methamphetamine arranged by Penaloza and delivered by a courier.

The investigation further uncovered that Penaloza, is illegally present in the United States, has three prior felony convictions for trafficking cocaine and possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine, resisting a law enforcement officer, and has been previously deported from the United States and returned to Mexico on at least two occasions.

The prosecution of Penaloza was a part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.   

Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer C. Nucci and Julie Childress 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-00104-BO.