Cocaine Supplier Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. sentenced Lincoln Normando Moquete, age 44, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida today to 12 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy and for possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.  Moquete was convicted by a federal jury on September 18, 2015, after a five day trial.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office. 

According to trial testimony, on March 9, 2010, a Maryland State Police trooper stopped a vehicle on Interstate 95 in Cecil County for excessive speed and making an unsafe lane change.  The driver was extremely nervous. A K-9 was called and alerted for the presence of narcotics.  Troopers seized 13 kilogram size bricks of cocaine from the trunk. 

Subsequent investigation revealed that Moquete had supplied the cocaine recovered from the car.  Moquete’s fingerprints were recovered on the cocaine’s plastic wrappings and a plastic bag containing the cocaine.  Evidence was also presented that Moquete had numerous phone contacts with a man to whom Moquete had supplied the cocaine, who in turn had provided the drugs to the driver.  The driver was transporting the cocaine to New York.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised HSI Baltimore, DEA, and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Romano and Seema Mittal, who prosecuted the case.