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Asheville -- November 16, 2022: According to Dena J. King, US Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, Jorge Luis Perez, 36, of Wimauma, Florida, has been found guilty of cocaine
trafficking and crimes involving weapons by a federal jury in Asheville. The three-day trial, which came to an end November 9, 2022 was presided over by U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger.
In May 2020, Jackson County, North Carolina law officers stopped the vehicle Perez was driving after conducting a traffic stop, according to court documents, witness testimony, and evidence produced at trial. During the course of the traffic check, the police discovered a loaded gun and a quantity of methamphetamine suitable for trafficking. Additionally, police discovered more than $10,000 in cash on Perez. Trial evidence also indicated that in July 2020, police in Swain County, North Carolina, stopped a vehicle that Perez was driving for a traffic violation. During that traffic stop, the police discovered a set of digital scales and much more methamphetamine intended for trafficking in the car. Later that day, during a search of Perez's trailer, further evidence including methamphetamine, many weapons, and a cash register were seized.
Perez was found guilty of two counts of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it, each carrying a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; and one count of possessing a firearm while engaging in drug trafficking, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. Perez continues to be detained. There is no defined time for sentence.
The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation includes this effort. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency method to locate, disrupt, and destroy criminal organizations. Visit https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF for more details on the OCDETF Program.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, the Swain County Sheriff's Office, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in Florida were all praised by U.S. Attorney King for their cooperation and investigation of the case in the announcement.
WNCTIMES by Marjorie Farrington
