Major Wilmington drug dealer busted with 39K bags of heroin, $250K in cash sentenced to federal prison
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - A major drug dealer in Wilmington will spend over a decade in prison on federal heroin charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of North Carolina announced.
William Gethers, 49, was sentenced on May 23 to 12.5 years in prison on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 1000 grams or more of heroin, possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and a quantity of cocaine, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Between May and Sept. 2019, undercover agents with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office’s Vice Division made several controlled purchases from Gethers.
On Sept. 10, 2019, detectives executed a search warrant at a “stash house” in Wilminton where Gethers reportedly had 39,000 bags of heroin, nine ounces of cocaine, and more than $10,000 in cash.
Detectives also searched Gethers’ home on Prices Lane and found an additional $44,000 in cash and two handguns.
Prosecutors say during a follow-up investigation, detectives seized around $148,000 that was hidden in Gethers’ home, and bank accounts for a total of approximately $250,000 in drug proceeds, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Gethers was part of a multi-state network that was supplying large amounts of heroin to the Wilmington area. Prosecutors say he was responsible for distributing around five kilograms of heroin in the Port City.
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