Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Missoula, on October 16, 2009, before U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, MIGUEL SANTOS-MIJANGOS, a 32-year-old resident of Bozeman, appeared for sentencing. SANTOS-MIJANGOS was sentenced to a term of:

• Prison: 37 months

• Special Assessment: $100

• Supervised Release: 4 years

SANTOS-MIJANGOS was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

In 2007, the Missouri River Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement began investigating a cocaine-trafficking organization in Gallatin County. The investigation included surveillance of individuals and addresses, and multiple controlled purchases of cocaine by confidential informants. SANTOS-MIJANGOS is a member of the drug trafficking organization.

On the following dates, law enforcement officers monitored controlled purchases of cocaine in the following amounts:

� March 12, 2008 - one ounce

� March 24, 2008 - five ounces

� April 15, 2008 - one ounce

� April 25, 2008 - one ounce

� April 30, 2008 - four ounces

� July 2, 2008 - one ounce

� August 6, 2008 - three ounces

� August 26, 2008 - two ounces

� September 22, 2008 - two ounces

� October 22, 2008 - one-half ounce

� October 28, 2008 - two ounces

� November 12, 2008 - three ounces

� November 25, 2008 - three ounces

� January 16, 2009 - two and one-half ounces

� March 31, 2009 - one and one-half ounce

SANTOS-MIJANGOS provided the cocaine on 8 of the 15 drug deals listed above. All together, law enforcement officers either purchased or seized over 845 grams of cocaine.

On April 20, 2009, SANTOS-MIJANGOS and Juan Vargas-Flores were arrested at their residence in Gallatin County. A package containing cocaine was located near SANTOS-MIJANGOS' wallet and he told a DEA agent that the package belonged to him. SANTOS-MIJANGOS told law enforcement that he had been selling cocaine in the Bozeman area for approximately one year. He described his source of supply in Denver, Colorado, the price per gram for which he sold cocaine in Bozeman, and said that he usually traveled to Denver twice per month, with co-conspirators, to buy five or six ounces of cocaine.

Vargas-Flores pled guilty to federal charges and has been sentenced.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that SANTOS-MIJANGOS will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, SANTOS-MIJANGOS does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Missouri River Drug Task Force.

 

 

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