CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A 38-year-old local resident has been sentenced to prison for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and distributing crack cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Evaristo Coleman, who pleaded guilty on Aug. 20, received a total of 160 months in prison.
U.S. District Judge David Morales sentenced Coleman to a 100-month term for drug trafficking and an additional 60 months for the firearms charge, which must be served consecutively. The sentence will be followed by four years of supervised release. The court noted that drugs were found in multiple residences linked to Coleman.
The investigation began in January after reports of alleged drug sales from Coleman’s apartment. Authorities observed regular customers purchasing cocaine and crack cocaine. In February, a search warrant led to the discovery of over 100 grams of crack cocaine, nearly 300 grams of powder cocaine, and two 9mm pistols in Coleman’s possession.
Coleman remains in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Corpus Christi Police Department conducted the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Griffith prosecuting the case.