Jesus Manual Hernandez, a 33-year-old resident of Charlotte, North Carolina, has been sentenced to 151 months in prison for methamphetamine trafficking. The sentence also includes five years of supervised release following his imprisonment. This announcement was made by Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Court documents and proceedings revealed that from March 2021 to September 2022, Hernandez and his co-defendant, Wilber Guadalupe Baldenebro Medina, were involved in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the Charlotte area. During the investigation into Hernandez's activities, law enforcement used confidential sources to purchase over 2.2 kilograms of methamphetamine. Additionally, records show that Hernandez organized the distribution of fentanyl pills and powder fentanyl in Montgomery, Alabama.
Hernandez pleaded guilty on November 30, 2023, to charges related to methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy and distribution. He remains in federal custody awaiting transfer to a designated federal facility under the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Medina received a sentence on September 27, 2023, amounting to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to similar charges.
U.S. Attorney King acknowledged the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their roles in investigating this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation.
The OCDETF program aims to identify and dismantle high-level criminal organizations posing threats within the United States through an intelligence-driven approach involving multiple agencies. More information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Lindahl from Charlotte prosecuted this case.