Cranston Crack Dealer Sentenced To Five Years In Federal Prison
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A Cranston man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Providence to 60 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, having pleaded guilty in June to possession of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute. Daniel Waite, 23, was arrested in April 2009 after a search of his apartment turned up 170 grams of crack cocaine and drug dealing paraphernalia.
Waite’s sentence, which was imposed by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mary M. Lisi, was announced by Steven W. Derr, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England and U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha and Cranston Police Chief Colonel Marco Palombo, Jr.
At Waite’s change of plea hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie S. Browne told the Court that Cranston Police had developed information that Waite was selling cocaine powder and crack cocaine. After obtaining a search warrant for his apartment, they had to force their way inside after their knocks on the door were ignored.
When police entered the apartment they found Waite lying on a mattress. When officers removed him from the mattress they discovered two baggies containing crack cocaine under him. They also located 12 bags of crack cocaine in a pocket of his jeans. The search turned up approximately 170 grams of crack cocaine, a scale and plastic bags used to package the crack cocaine for sale.
