Denver – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Ignacio Godinez-Mancilla, age 30, of Mexico, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
According to the plea agreement, on January 15, 2019, detectives with the North Metro Drug Task Force arranged for an order of six pounds of methamphetamine and ten ounces of heroin from the defendant. The defendant arrived at a location in Aurora arranged by detectives with the requested drugs, as well as over $1500 in cash, where he was placed under arrest. After being granted bond in the state case arising from these events, the defendant failed to appear for court proceedings and remained in warrant status until his apprehension by federal authorities in this case over two years later.
“We appreciate the work our partners are doing at the local, state and federal levels to take drug traffickers like this defendant off the streets,” said U.S Attorney Cole Finegan. “We cannot and will not allow these illicit drugs to continue to flood our communities. They are dangerous and can be deadly.”
“Drug trafficking cases remain a high priority for the FBI. In this case, the defendant was prepared to sell methamphetamine and fled to avoid prosecution. This lengthy sentence is a result of the common goals and valuable partnerships the FBI has with local and federal law enforcement agencies to stem the distribution of illegal drugs and make our communities safer,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael H. Schneider.
“While we are in the midst of a prolific nationwide drug crisis and fentanyl is the leading cause of overdose deaths, we serve well to remember that methamphetamine and heroin are still readily available and deadly drugs,” said DEA Denver Field Division Special Agent in Charge Brian Besser. “This sentencing should be a clear message to those that push their poison in our communities that DEA and our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone who traffics illicit drugs in the Rocky Mountain Region.”
“The investigation of drug traffickers is critical in our fight to reduce the surging violent crime in communities throughout Colorado,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, Special Agent in Charge, HSI Denver. “The men and women of HSI Denver are working tirelessly with our law enforcement partners and will remain laser focused in our joint efforts to bring individuals like Godinez-Mancilla to justice and stop the flow of illegal drugs.”
“Our priority is to identify and remove noncitizens who pose a threat to public safety in Colorado like Godinez-Mancilla,” said Tracey Cammorto, Acting Field Office Director, ERO Denver. “We are thankful our federal law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office continue to work with us in the interest of public safety to stop the flow of illegal drugs in our community.”
Judge Daniel D. Domenico sentenced the defendant on May 11, 2022, to 11 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the North Metro Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations assisted in the prosecution of the case, which was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Cyrus Y. Chung.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Case number 21-cr-340-DDD
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