RALEIGH - United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced today in federal court, Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced ANTHONY WAYNE WIGGINS, 51, of Middlesex to life imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release.
WIGGINS was named in an a Superseding Indictment filed on April 9, 2013 charging him with Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute 5 Kilograms or More of Cocaine, Possession With Intent to Distribute 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. On March 13, 2014, WIGGINS was found guilty on these charges after a 3 day trial.
Also charged in the Superseding Indictment were ASAEL GOMEZ-JIMENEZ, SILVINO LARA-LARA, DARIO GOMES-JUAREZ and LUISIANA FIGUERROA-QUEZADA.
GOMEZ-JIMENEZ was named in a Superseding Indictment filed on April 9, 2013 charging him with Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute 5 Kilograms or More of Cocaine, Distribution of a Quantity of Cocaine, Possession with the Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Cocaine and Aiding and Abetting, and Eluding Examination and Inspection by Immigration Officers. On March 13, 2014, GOMEZ-JIMENEZ was found guilty on these charges after a 3 day trial. On July 8, 2014, GOMEZ-JIMENEZ was sentenced to 324 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.
LARA-LARA was named in an a Superseding Indictment filed on April 9, 2013 charging him with Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute 5 Kilograms or More of Cocaine, Two Counts of Distribution of a Quantity of Cocaine and Aiding and Abetting, Possession with the Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Cocaine and Aiding and Abetting, and Eluding Examination and Inspection by Immigration Officers. On March 4, 2014, LARA-LARA pled guilty to these charges. On July 8, 2014, LARA-LARA received a sentence of 132 months followed by a term of five years supervised release.
GOMEZ-JUAREZ was named in an a Superseding Indictment filed on April 9, 2013 charging him with Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute 5 Kilograms or More of Cocaine, Three Counts of Distribution of a Quantity of Cocaine and Aiding and Abetting, and Eluding Examination and Inspection by Immigration Officers. On March 7, 2014, GOMEZ-JUAREZ pled guilty to these charges. On August 5, 2014, GOMEZ-JUAREZ received a sentence of 180 months followed by a term of five years supervised release.
FIGUERROA-QUEZADA was named in an a Superseding Indictment filed on April 9, 2013 charging her with Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute 5 Kilograms or More of Cocaine. On June 17, 2013, FIGUERROA-QUEZADA pled guilty to that charge. On July 8, 2014, FIGUERROA-QUEZADA received a sentence of 30 months followed by a term of five years supervised release.
According to the investigation, GOMEZ-JIMENEZ, WIGGINS and their co-conspirators were involved in a large drug trafficking organization (DTO) which operated in and around Middlesex, North Carolina. GOMEZ-JIMENEZ led this operation beginning in and around November of 2011. During the course of the conspiracy, the DTO was responsible for the distribution of at least 22 kilograms of cocaine in the Eastern District of North Carolina. WIGGINS regularly purchased cocaine from the DTO. On June 30, 2012, officers responded to a domestic disturbance between WIGGINS and his girlfriend. His girlfriend told officers that WIGGINS had drugs and firearms in their residence and led officers to a can which contained 12.8 grams of crack cocaine. A search of the residence revealed an additional 40.34 grams of crack cocaine, two Pyrex glass measuring cups with cocaine residue, which were used to convert cocaine to cocaine base, a Hi-Point 9mm rifle, and several boxes of.45 caliber and.40 caliber ammunition. Officers also seized $3,715.00 in currency from WIGGINS. The investigation concluded that WIGGINS is conservatively responsible for the distribution of 7.5 kilograms of cocaine and 53.14 grams of cocaine base.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Raleigh Police Department, the Nash County Sheriff’s Office, the Wilson Police Department and the Person County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer E. Wells prosecuted the case for the government.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
