NEW HANOVER COUNTY — A Wilmington man pled guilty in New Hanover County Superior Court Monday to trafficking cocaine.
Iglesias Dowe, 39, was arrested almost a year ago on Apr. 1. Around 5:30 p.m. that day, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office deputies pulled Dowe over for texting and driving. They noticed a marijuana stench as they approached the vehicle, according to a release from the district attorney’s office. When asked about the odor, Dowe reportedly handed over a vacuum-sealed bag filled with around 111 grams of marijuana.
He then got out of the vehicle so officers could fully search the Camaro and attempted to run away from the scene, according to the release.
Dowe was apprehended following a “brief pursuit.” In his car, deputies uncovered 29.99 grams of crack cocaine, a digital scale and $4,388 of U.S. currency in a box behind the driver’s seat.
He will serve 35 to 51 months in the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, the mandatory term for the crimes. Judge Kent Harrell also imposed the statutorily mandated $50,000 fine.
The defendant has a criminal history with previous convictions for drug trafficking, according to the release.
“Thanks to the investigative instincts and efforts of deputies and detectives from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, we were able to get a large quantity of crack cocaine off the streets during what began as an ordinary traffic stop,” Assistant District Attorney Brad Matthews said in a statement.
District Attorney Ben David added: “Two of the priorities of our office’s drug unit are to aggressively prosecute drug traffickers and career offenders and this defendant fits into both of those categories.”
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