Colorado man sentenced to 64 years in prison for possessing 60,000+ fentanyl pills, 30 pounds of meth

By Jennifer McRae

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    WELD COUNTY, Colorado (KCNC) — A Weld County judge has sentenced a Colorado man to 64 years in prison after his conviction for possession of more than 60,000 fentanyl pills and more than 30 pounds of meth. Jorge Garcia-Loya was sentenced on Sept. 27 after possessing more than the street value of $330,000 worth of drugs in 2022.

Garcia-Loya was convicted in August on several drug-related charges, including two counts of possession with intent to manufacture or distribute a controlled substance – fentanyl, two counts of possession with intent to manufacture or distribute a controlled substance, and one count of speeding.

According to the Weld County District Attorney’s Office, it all began when deputies with the Weld County Sheriff’s Office pulled over Garcia-Loya, 36, on Highway 85 in Gilcrest on Sept. 13, 2022. During the stop, a K9 unit detected the scent of narcotics in the trunk. A search of the vehicle revealed about 4,000 M-30 pills, suspected to contain fentanyl, along with more than five pounds of methamphetamine.

During a search of Garcia-Loya’s residence in Henderson later that same day, authorities discovered an additional 26 pounds of methamphetamine and 60,000 fentanyl pills. In total, the estimated street value of the drugs at the time was $330,000. It was also the largest seizure of counterfeit blue M-30 fentanyl pills in Weld County at the time.

“Had law enforcement not stopped this defendant, I don’t want to imagine the devastation he could have caused by flooding our community with this poison,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Pirraglia in a statement.

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