ST. GEORGE, Utah – A foreign national, and Colorado resident, was sentenced yesterday to 92 months imprisonment followed by four years supervised release, after he admitted to trafficking over 140 pounds of methamphetamine into the District of Utah in March 2022.
“It is mind-blowing to think about the downstream effects of this amount of drugs in the community,” said U.S. Federal District Court Chief Judge Robert J. Shelby. “Substantial sentences are necessary for people to understand the risks of trafficking drugs.”
According to court documents, Sergio Antonio Silva-Gonzalez, 24, of Denver, Colorado, pleaded guilty in September 2023 to illegally possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. In Silva-Gonzalez’s written statement in advance of his plea of guilty, and admissions made in court at his change of plea hearing, he admitted that the methamphetamine he possessed at the time of his arrest weighed approximately 141 pounds. According to court records, and statements made by the federal prosecutor during Silva-Gonzalez’s sentencing hearing, in addition to the methamphetamine, the defendant was in the United States illegally. He also possessed and intended to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and was in possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
“Community safety is a top priority. The amount of narcotics Mr. Silva-Gonzalez attempted to traffic into our state threatens the safety and lives of our citizens,” said United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “Working with law enforcement, we will continue to prosecute these types of cases and seek appropriate federal sentences to protect the community.”
“The amount of drugs is staggering. Adding the stolen firearm makes it downright disturbing,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Brady Wilson during the sentencing hearing.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant United States Attorney, Brady Wilson, of the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.