News Release Mexican
Citizen Sentenced To Life In Prison PHOENIX + Jose Antonio Verdugo-Munoz, 36, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced here yesterday afternoon by U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton to life in prison without the possibility of parole for possession with the intent to distribute two pounds of methamphetamine. A jury found Verdugo-Munoz guilty of the charge on January 18, 2006. “Even a sixteenth of a gram of meth can cause addiction,” stated U.S. Attorney Paul K. Charlton. “And meth addiction leads to the destruction of individuals, families and communities. This defendant had in his possession, and intended to distribute, enough meth to cause thousands of people to become or stay addicted.” Phoenix area DEA agents, assisting agents from Virginia, made an arrest from a distribution organization originating in Virginia. The individual arrested identified his supplier. During the investigation, agents confirmed the identity of the second source of the methamphetamine as Jose Antonio Verdugo-Munoz. Verdugo-Munoz was arrested on November 6, 2003 with two pounds of methamphetamine in his car that he had agreed to deliver to the individual. Verdugo-Munoz had four prior drug felony convictions. Two pounds of methamphetamine can be broken down to as low as 1/16th of a gram or 14,528 user doses. At $40 per 1/16 gram, the street value of two pounds of meth is $581,120. The case was investigated by DEA with the assistance of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution was handled by Brian Larson, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix. CASE NUMBER: CR-03-1161-PHX-SRB
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