Fairbanks man sentenced to 9 years in cocaine case

Fairbanks man linked to local rappers and caught with more than 13 ounces of cocaine in 2012 will spend a little more than nine years in prison. Benjamin Dewayne Smith, once a part owner of Heavy Chevy Entertainment, pleaded guilty in April to having powder and crack cocaine with plans to distribute the drugs. On Wednesday, a federal judge in Fairbanks sentenced Smith, 37, to 110 months in federal prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. Authorities executing a search warrant at a Wilcox Street apartment in January 2012 found 270 grams of powder cocaine and 107 grams of crack that belonged to Smith in a safe, according to a plea agreement in his case. Smith admitted to using the apartment to distribute drugs, and his wife told investigators they lived at another residence, a prosecutor’s sentencing memorandum says.