Methamphetamine Trafficker Is Sentenced to 15+ Years On Drug And Gun Charges

CHARLOTTE, N.C. Jonathan Craig Otuel, 36, of Stallings, N.C., was sentenced today to 181 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for trafficking methamphetamine and related firearms offenses.

According to court documents, evidence presented at Otuel's trial, and witness testimony, on November 19, 2019, officers with the Pineville Police Department responded to a call for service at a hotel room, where they located Otuel and three other individuals. Officers also located methamphetamine and a firearm that Otuel had thrown from the balcony. A search warrant was issued and executed on the hotel room. During the search, law enforcement recovered multiple bags of methamphetamine, and an additional firearm. During the investigation, law enforcement determined that Otuel was responsible for trafficking significant amounts of methamphetamine in Mecklenburg and Gaston Counties.

On August 2, 2023, a federal jury convicted Otuel of conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Otuel also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Otuel remains in federal custody. He will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

In making today's announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pineville Police Department and the Gaston County Police Department for their investigation of the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Regina Pack and Timothy Sielaff of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.