Man allegedly living in country illegally arrested on drug charges in Pender County

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The Pender County Sheriff’s Office recently arrested a man following a tip from the Department of Homeland Security.

The Sheriff’s Office says the tip stated the suspect was distributing Cocaine and Methamphetamine in Pender and Duplin Counties and was possibly in possession of a firearm.

On October 21, Detectives with the Pender County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into the suspect who was later identified as Adrian Gutierrez.

Gutierrez was found to have been previously convicted of Trafficking in Marijuana in Wilson County, North Carolina and has been previously deported from the country, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle and made a seizure of Cocaine and Methamphetamine packaged for sale. This seizure led Detectives to apply for a Search Warrant for the home of Adrian Gutierrez located on Lucky Penny Loop, in Wallace.

Detectives say they recovered further amounts of Cocaine, Methamphetamine and a Loaded Handgun. Adrian Gutierrez was and placed into the custody of the Pender County Jail.