Sinaloa Cartel Associate Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Kilogram Quantities of Cocaine

<_w3a_sdt combobox="t" docpart="E0720D1F27214144A8B5664AB12FB768" id="-150998209" sdttag="Location" title="Location"><_w3a_listitem datavalue="RALEIGH" listvalue="RALEIGH"> <_w3a_listitem datavalue="GREENVILLE" listvalue="GREENVILLE"> <_w3a_listitem datavalue="NEW BERN" listvalue="NEW BERN"> <_w3a_listitem datavalue="WILMINGTON" listvalue="WILMINGTON"> <_w3a_listitem datavalue="ELIZABETH CITY" listvalue="ELIZABETH CITY"> RALEIGH, N.C. - An <_w3a_sdt docpart="80E963A928DA43968A4348AD98A435B5" id="849842128" sdttag="City" title="City">Elloree, South Carolina man was sentenced to 151 months in prison for conspiring to distribute and possessing with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. On October 13, 2023, Ricardo Baltazar-Aguirre pled guilty to the charges.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Baltazar-Aguirre, 52, conspired with Oscar Nunez-Cortes, 26, of Saint Matthews, South Carolina to distribute ten kilograms of cocaine to an individual in Fayetteville. On January 6, 2023, Nunez-Cortes drove to meet Baltazar-Aguirre at a house in Elloree, South Carolina. There, Baltazar-Aguirre and another man loaded 10 kilograms of cocaine into an SUV driven by Nunez-Cortes. Nunez-Cortes and his girlfriend then traveled to an agreed upon location in Fayetteville to meet the buyer. As they traveled Baltazar-Aguirre and his companion trailed their vehicle. North Carolina State Highway Patrol conducted traffic stops on both vehicles as they crossed into Cumberland County on Interstate 95. A search of Nunez-Cortes's car revealed 10 kilograms of cocaine packaged in kilogram quantities in a large duffel bag in the back seat. A search of Baltazar-Aguirre's truck revealed a handgun in the glovebox.

An examination of Baltazar-Aguirre's phones revealed that he frequently communicated with a Mexican phone number that was saved in his contacts as "Sinaloa" that belongs to a suspected Sinaloan Cartel member. Baltazar-Aguirre discussed the sale and distribution of narcotics with "Sinaloa" ultimately receiving permission to conduct the deal with Nunez-Cortes. Nunez-Cortes was a heavy user of cocaine and would purchase an ounce or two a week from Baltazar-Aguirre before meeting the buyer and attempting to set up his own drug deal.

Nunez-Cortes previously pled guilty to possession with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by <_w3a_sdt combobox="t" docpart="E0720D1F27214144A8B5664AB12FB768" id="-2024937349" sdttag="Judge" title="Judge"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Choose an item."> <_w3a_listitem datavalue="U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle" listvalue="U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle"> <_w3a_listitem datavalue="U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan" listvalue="U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan"> <_w3a_listitem datavalue="U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III" listvalue="U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III"> <_w3a_listitem datavalue="Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II" listvalue="Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II"> <_w3a_listitem datavalue="Senior U.S. District Judge W. Earl Britt" listvalue="Senior U.S. District Judge W. Earl Britt"> <_w3a_listitem datavalue="Senior U.S. District Judge Malcolm J. Howard" listvalue="Senior U.S. District Judge Malcolm J. Howard"> U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. <_w3a_sdt docpart="AB855000480F48458A9D28E13B43B317" id="-1249267524" sdttag="Law Enforcement Agencies" title="Law Enforcement Agencies">Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Nashville Police Department, Nash County Sheriff's Office, and the NC State Highway Patrol investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys <_w3a_sdt docpart="ECAC190AA7A54D33AA4A4C1B628617B7" id="-1618521751" sdttag="AUSA/SAUSA" title="AUSA/SAUSA">Erin Blondel and Phil Aubart prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. <_w3a_sdt docpart="A1CA2A3ADC534EEF95A4C15CE578F298" id="-2067410867" sdttag="Case No." title="Case No.">7:23-cr-00016-BO.

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