LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A Lancaster County man was sentenced up to 20 years in jail on Tuesday, Feb. 7 for various weapons and drug charges.
Ismael Rosario, 27, from Columbia, was convicted by a jury in November of a first-degree felony of a person not to possess a firearm.
He was also found guilty by Judge Merrill Spahn during a bench trial on Tuesday of three counts of possession with intent to deliver crack cocaine, cocaine, and methamphetamine and firearms not to be carried without a license before sentencing occurred.
Rosario was then found guilty of misdemeanor counts of possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
He was sentenced to 9.5 to 20 years in state prison.
According to police reports, on June 21, 2021, officers conducted a drug detail using undercover officers. The officers arranged a $100 purchase of narcotics from Rosario and another individual, who were inside a white Acura sedan along the 400 block of S. Christian Street in Lancaster.
Officers seized the car and found Rosario in possession of a Taurus PT111 Pro 9 mm handgun. He was also reportedly sitting on an extended magazine.
Further investigation revealed that Rosario did not have a valid license to carry the weapon and that he was prohibited from having the firearm due to previous convictions.
According to the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office, officers also discovered that Rosario was in possession of methamphetamine pills and over two grams of powder cocaine.
A search warrant was then executed on the car, where officers found over 100 methamphetamine pills as well as marijuana and packaging materials.
