Two drug dealers arrested during 'high-risk traffic stop' have set their sentencing hearing

Two men convicted by a jury of three drug offenses last month will appear in court on September 19 to hear their sentences.

Mickey Buonomo, 44, and Shane Whiteman, 45, were among four people charged in connection with a November 4, 2021 incident in Sault Ste. Marie police described a high-risk traffic stop.

Both men were convicted of possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking, possession of methamphetamine and possession of a prohibited weapon (a conductive energy weapon).

SEE: $260,000 in drugs seized on Pine Street

When they delivered their verdict on April 22, jurors also found two other co-defendants not guilty of the same charges.

Vanessa McKinnon, 33, and Brodie Barnes, 34, were with the duo when city police officers spotted a wanted man in a vehicle on Pine Street.

The quartet was charged with a myriad of offenses, but in April they went to the Sault courthouse to face three charges stemming from their interaction with police that day.

Superior Court Judge Patrick Boucher, regional senior judge for the Northeast region, presided over the trial.

The sentencing date was set last week, when federal prosecutors and defense attorneys indicated they had agreed on a date for the hearing.