Burgaw man found guilty on drug and gun charges

BURGAW, NC (WWAY) — A Burgaw man will spend several years in prison after being found guilty of drug and gun charges.

A jury convicted Antonio Goncalves, 35, on 3 counts of Trafficking Methamphetamine, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and other lesser drug charges.

According to a news release, on November 26, 2019, Goncalves was driving two adults and a baby around the Maple Hill area when he came upon two Pender County deputies involved in an unrelated traffic stop.

He made a u-turn in the middle of the road. One deputy found this to be suspicious and began following Goncalves’ vehicle.

When the deputy found the vehicle, Goncalves was pulled off on the side of the road. The deputy approached the vehicle and found that Goncalves was driving on a suspended license and had a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.

A subsequent search of the vehicle yielded 32 grams of Methamphetamine and a loaded .22 caliber pistol. Goncalves was determined to be a convicted felon at the time.

A judge sentenced Goncalves to a term of 70-93 months in the Department of Adult Corrections and fined him $50,000. He was also sentenced to a consecutive suspended sentence of 17-30 months and 36 months of supervised probation that begins after he serves his active sentence.