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Meth trafficker gets 10 years in prison
Herald Staff Writer
Sergio Molinares-Macias, 23, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty Sept. 24 to felony distribution of methamphetamine in a plea agreement with the 6th Judicial District Attorney's Office.
He was facing eight to 10 years in prison, and District Judge Jeffrey Wilson gave him the maximum.
According to the plea agreement, Molinares-Macias led the trafficking, sale and distribution of meth in La Plata County. Local authorities made four undercover purchases, netting a half pound of meth.
At the time of his arrest, Molinares-Macias had more than 80 grams of meth, a handgun and about $18,000 in cash. His crimes occurred between Feb. 5 and Aug. 4, 2009.
District Attorney Todd Risberg thanked the Southwest Drug Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration and Assistant District Attorney Christian Champagne, who prosecuted the case.
"Mr. Molinares-Macias was bringing pounds of meth into our area every week," Risberg said. "The message should be clear: We will not tolerate poison peddlers preying on our community." The months-long investigation used wiretaps to help investigators identify Molinares-Macias as the ringleader. He had connections in Mexico and brought drugs through Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, New Mexico and Idaho.
The organization generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales.
According to one recorded call, members of the drug ring set a goal of raising $400,000 to $500,000 in cash before Christmas 2009. In another call, members talked of violence within the organization, including one incident in which a member was severely beaten and almost had his ear torn off. Another member said he had a gun in his waistband, and if he saw a particular member, bullets would be flying.
Jim Schrant, resident agent in charge with the Drug Enforcement Administration for Western Colorado, said large Mexican-based drug-trafficking organizations pose threats because they deal in large amounts of meth and money, which leads to kidnappings, robberies and violence among each other.
Molinares-Macias' organization tried to introduce meth to new people and get them hooked on the drug, Schrant said.
"To them, it's just a simple business where they want as many customers as possible, and they're going to bring in extra supply to meet that demand," he said.
Molinares-Macias was not a meth user; he just profited from the sales.
"We were able to effectively dismantle this organization, including its leadership," Schrant said.
shane@durangoherald.com
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