WASHINGTON - Guthrie Wright, 47, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 10-year prison term on federal narcotics distribution and weapon charges, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.
Wright pled guilty in July 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to charges of unlawful possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and using, carrying, and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. The plea, which called for a 10-year sentence, was contingent upon the approval of the Honorable Beryl A. Howell. Judge Howell accepted the plea agreement today and sentenced Wright accordingly. Upon completion of his prison term, Wright will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, at about 1:45 a.m. on Nov. 9, 2012, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers stopped Wright’s vehicle for traffic violations in the 2400 block of 9th Street NW. The officers then arrested Wright for possession of an open container of alcohol.
During a search of Wright, MPD officers recovered several narcotics packaged for sale, including about 3.9 grams of cocaine. The officers later conducted a consensual search of Wright’s belongings at his mother’s apartment in Northwest Washington, where he had been staying. During the search, they found additional packaged drugs, including about 48.9 grams of cocaine, drug distribution paraphernalia, and two fully loaded handguns. One handgun was found in a backpack that also held the recovered narcotics and a document addressed to Wright.
Wright has seven previous convictions. His last conviction, which occurred in 2001, was for possession with the intent to distribute heroin.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the MPD officers who participated in Wright’s arrest and recovered the drugs and firearms. He also acknowledged the efforts of Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nalina Sombuntham, who prosecuted the case.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
