Angelina Maestas, Member Of Drug Trafficking Operation, Also Sentenced For Posting Case Documents On Facebook
DENVER (CBS4) - Angelina Maestas of Montrose was sentenced Wednesday to more than 13 years in federal prison. She and a dozen others were indicted in January for trafficking methamphetamine and heroin in the area. Prosecutors later added a charge of tampering with a witness or informant, according to court documents, after Maestas posted court documents on Facebook that openly accused another member of the trafficking operation with cooperating with police. Those documents were protected by court order.
"This substantial sentence is an appropriate one for someone that caused tremendous damage to a small Colorado community and then tried to undermine the judicial process by intimidating a witness," said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn. "We look forward to continuing the prosecutions in the case and ensuring that this drug ring is stomped out permanently."
Maestas received a 30-month sentence for the witness tampering in addition to the 130-month sentence handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Christine M. Arguello for the drug trafficking.
Of the 13 defendants indicted in the case, three, including Maestas, have pleaded guilty. The only other defendant who has so far been sentenced, Joseph Davis, was ordered to serve 151 months in federal prison. The cases against the other 10 defendants are pending.
The Drug Enforcement Agency broke up the drug operation with the help of the Montrose Police Department and the Montrose County Sheriff.
The press release from the U.S. Attorney General's Office in Denver did not confirm if the person identified in Maestas's Facebook post indeed worked as an informant.