An Atlantic City man admitted in federal court to planning to distribute two pounds of crystal methamphetamine to customers in Hammonton.
Investigators seized several pounds of the drug linked to Ignacio Cuesta, as well as thousands of dollars in cash.
Cuesta, 41, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Noel Hillman in Camden to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
He was arrested in Hammonton on June 24, 2016, after agreeing to sell two pounds of crystal methamphetamine to a customer who turned out to be an undercover narcotics detective.
The drugs were found in Cuesta’s Ford Expedition, along with about $9,000 in cash.
Investigators found Cuesta hid several more pounds of crystal meth in vehicles and buried in a bucket in the ground in a parking lot for a Hammonton business.
Officers also found additional cash inside the trunk of a vehicle owned and used by Cuesta, which was parked in the same parking lot in Hammonton.
The total seized from Cuesta and his property was more $100,000.
Cuesta agreed to forfeit all of the cash and two vehicles that were seized on the day of the arrest as part of his plea.
The drug conspiracy charge carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, and a maximum fine of $10 million. Sentencing is scheduled for May 18.
