Man sentenced to 64 years for possessing $340K worth of fentanyl, meth
Published on October 01, 2024
GREELEY, Colo. (Weld County D.A.) – A man has been sentenced to more than 60 years in prison after possessing more than $330,000 worth of drugs in 2022.
In August, 36-year-old Jorge Garcia-Loya was convicted on multiple drug-related charges, including two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, two counts of possession with intent to distribute other controlled substances, and one count of speeding.
On Friday, Weld County District Court Judge Marcelo Kopcow sentenced Garcia-Loya to 64 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.
On September 13, 2022, Garcia-Loya was pulled over by a Weld County Sheriff’s Deputy on Highway 85 in Gilcrest for speeding. A K9 unit detected narcotics, prompting a search of his truck. Authorities found approximately 4,000 M-30 pills, believed to contain fentanyl, and more than five pounds of methamphetamine.
Later that same day, law enforcement searched Garcia-Loya’s residence in Henderson, Colorado, with the help of another K9 unit. They discovered an additional 26 pounds of methamphetamine and 60,000 fentanyl pills.
In total, the seized drugs had a street value of approximately $330,000, making it the largest counterfeit M-30 fentanyl pill seizure 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. "Unfortunately, this drug epidemic isn’t slowing down, but we want the community to know that we take these cases very seriously. If you profit from this poison, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and will be held accountable.”
The investigation linked Garcia-Loya’s operation to a larger drug trafficking network with ties to Mexico. The drugs, hidden in vehicle gas tanks, were transported through New Mexico to their final destination in Greeley.
The case was investigated by the Weld County Drug Task Force, the Weld County Sheriff’s Office and its K9 Unit, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
Chief Deputy District Attorneys Patrick Roche and Michael Pirraglia prosecuted the case.