A South Carolina resident has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for distributing methamphetamine supplied by a drug trafficking organization based in Mexico with links to the Sinaloa cartel. The announcement was made by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Nicolas Yarcil Uribe-Tamayo, 26, from Easley, South Carolina, received a sentence of 151 months in prison and five years of supervised release. He previously pleaded guilty on November 7, 2024, to possession with intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine.
Court records and statements from the sentencing hearing reveal that in 2023 law enforcement discovered that a Mexico-based drug trafficking group with ties to the Sinaloa cartel was moving large amounts of methamphetamine into North Carolina. Investigators identified Uribe-Tamayo as one of the local distributors for this organization. Surveillance showed another member of the group meeting Uribe-Tamayo and handing him a kilogram of methamphetamine. After this exchange, officers tracked Uribe-Tamayo as he drove at high speed before stopping at a restaurant on West Sugar Creek Road in Charlotte. When officers approached him regarding his driving, they detected marijuana odor coming from his vehicle. A subsequent search uncovered a kilogram of methamphetamine on the rear seat floorboard, an AR-15 style rifle, a loaded high-capacity magazine with 32 rounds, and digital scales.
“Cartels like Sinaloa are infiltrating our communities with drugs, not to mention guns and violence,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “We are committed to their total elimination.”
The investigation also found that Uribe-Tamayo had worked with the trafficking organization for nearly two years and delivered large quantities of narcotics to customers on several occasions.
Uribe-Tamayo will stay in federal custody until he is transferred to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson acknowledged the work of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), North Carolina Highway Patrol, Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, Lexington Police Department, and Rowan County Sheriff’s Office for their efforts in this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller prosecuted the case.
