Three Western Slope Defendants Sentenced For Various Roles In Methamphetamine and Cocaine Drug Trafficking

DENVER – Three defendants have been sentenced to serve prison sentences for their respective roles in the distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine, U.S. Attorney Jason R. Dunn and DEA Denver Division Special Agent in Charge William T. McDermott announced.  Two remaining defendants have a sentencing hearing pending in January 2019. 

Colorado Chief U.S. District Court Judge Marcia S. Krieger, sitting in Grand Junction on November 5, 2018 and November 6, 2018, sentenced

Marco Valdez to serve 120 months in federal prison;

Rigoberto Felix to serve 48 months in federal prison; and,

David Sosa to serve 60 months in federal prison.

According to court documents, in April 2016, the Glenwood Springs branch of the DEA began investigating instances of drug trafficking occurring in Garfield and Mesa Counties. This investigation involved surveillance of targets, controlled purchases of methamphetamine, and wiretaps. The investigation ultimately revealed that the three individuals sentenced this week were part of a larger drug trafficking organization run by Paul Hernandez Contreras – a source of supply of methamphetamine and cocaine from California, and Daniel Tapia-Morales -- a drug distributor who had his own customer base in Colorado.  The cases against Contreras and Tapia-Morales are pending. 

In addition to drug trafficking, some individuals in this investigation would trade firearms for narcotics. Ultimately, over 3 kilograms of methamphetamine and ½ kilogram of cocaine were seized, as well as firearms and thousands of dollars. The investigation resulted in the indictment of ten individuals, including those mentioned above.

This case was investigated by the DEA Denver Division and TRIDENT, including agents in Mesa and Garfield Counties. TRIDENT is a multi-jurisdictional drug task force funded through Federal, State and Local government funding sources.   The defendants were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Celeste Rangel.