Wilmington man convicted of trafficking cocaine

(Photo: District Attorney Ben David)

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Iglesias Dowe, age 39 of Wilmington, pled guilty yesterday in New Hanover County Superior Court to Trafficking in Cocaine and Possession with Intent to Sell and Deliver Cocaine.

Judge Kent Harrell sentenced Dowe to the mandatory term of 35 to 51 months in the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction and imposed the statutorily mandated $50,000 fine upon the defendant.

Around 5:30 p.m. on April 1, 2021, deputies from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office observed Dowe texting while driving on Market Street and subsequently executed a traffic stop on his 2020 black Chevy Camaro. Upon approaching the vehicle, officers noticed an odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle and inquired about the odor to the defendant.

The defendant responded by handing over a vacuum sealed bag containing approximately 111 grams of marijuana.

The defendant was then asked to exit the vehicle so officers could further search the Camaro, but upon doing so, the defendant attempted to flee the scene by foot.

After a brief pursuit, Dowe was apprehended by law enforcement, and upon performing a search of the defendant’s person, deputies found 29.99 grams of crack cocaine.

A later search of the defendant’s vehicle yielded a digital scale and $4,388 of United States currency from a box behind the driver’s seat.

The defendant also has a lengthy criminal history that includes a prior conviction for trafficking of cocaine.

“Thanks to the investigative instincts and efforts of deputies and detectives from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, we were able to get a large quantity of crack cocaine off the streets during what began as an ordinary traffic stop,” Assistant District Attorney Brad Matthews said. “Two of the priorities of our office’s drug unit are to aggressively prosecute drug traffickers and career offenders and this defendant fits into both of those categories,” District Attorney Ben David said.