RALEIGH — A Charlotte man was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison for injecting large quantities of cocaine into the Wilmington area from early 2017 to July 2022.
Kinte Fisher, age 47, pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine on Nov. 5, 2024.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, FBI agents and Wilmington Police Department officers started investigating Fisher for drug trafficking. The investigation revealed that Fisher, who lived in Charlotte, moved narcotics to a “stash house” that he maintained in Wilmington. From there, he would sell large quantities of cocaine. Fisher often used the cover of visiting family to deliver cocaine to the area and supervised several other individuals involved in drug trafficking, including his girlfriend. Fisher also mailed packages containing narcotics using the United States Postal Service.
Over a five-year period, Fisher distributed at least 62 kilograms of cocaine, according to investigators.
On July 25, 2022, surveillance revealed that Fisher was traveling again to Wilmington. Agents with the FBI saw him enter his stash house with a backpack. A few moments later, Fisher left the apartment and threw a piece of plastic wrap into a municipal trash can before driving off. Law enforcement officers tested that plastic wrap, and it tested positive for cocaine residue.
Based on that, law enforcement attempted to initiate a traffic stop. Fisher sped off. A high-speed chase unfolded where Fisher sped through various areas, including one of Wilmington’s business districts. Fisher abandoned his car and continued to evade arrest on foot. Law enforcement caught up to Fisher at the Wilmington Riverwalk. As they closed in, Fisher tossed his cellphone into the river. A subsequent search of Fisher’s stash house found approximately 340 grams of cocaine, a scale, and drug packaging materials.
This investigation was an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
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