Ohio felon sentenced to 20 years for being caught with meth and firearm in Iredell County: DOJ

IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — A meth dealer from Ohio has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being caught in Iredell County, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.

On Wednesday, 40-year-old Michael Lamar Gaines was sentenced to 20 years in prison for trafficking methamphetamine and illegal possession of a firearm.

On Feb. 6, 2023, a deputy with the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop Gaines on I-77 for a traffic violation. He instead fled at a high rate of speed before crashing once he left I-77 and ran a stop sign. Court documents state Gaines tried to escape on foot before getting arrested.

In Gaines’ vehicle, law enforcement found a handgun with an extended magazine, two bags that contained nearly half a kilogram (500 grams) of methamphetamine, and $8,940 of cash that he had on him.

Nearly one year later, on Feb. 2, 2024, Gaines pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, officials said.

Not even two months after his guilty plea, on March 18, 2024, Gaines was caught trying to have a controlled substance sent from Cleveland, Ohio, in the detention center.

READ MORE: Inmates tried to have controlled substance mailed in: Iredell County Sheriff

Gaines is now in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons once assigned to a federal facility.

Following his 20-year sentence, he will have five years of supervised release.

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