Jose Baeza, a 41-year-old resident of Colorado Springs, has been sentenced to 330 months in federal prison. The sentence follows his guilty plea to charges including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Additionally, Baeza pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Otero County Court.
The plea agreement reveals that Baeza, also known as "Terco," shot an individual in La Junta, Colorado, in March 2022 over a drug debt related to the drug trafficking organization he was part of. The victim succumbed to a gunshot wound to the chest.
"Violent drug dealers have no place in our communities," stated Acting United States Attorney J. Bishop Grewell. "I am grateful to our partners for removing this dangerous criminal from our streets and placing him behind bars for many years to come."
DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen commended the efforts of the DEA's Colorado Springs Resident Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Colorado. He remarked, "Those involved in drug trafficking and murder have no place in our society, and DEA will continue to be relentless in its pursuit of individuals and criminal organizations who break the laws of the United States."
The sentencing was overseen by United States District Court Judge Daniel D. Domenico. The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation while Assistant United States Attorneys Alyssa Christine Mance and Talia Bucci prosecuted the case.
Case Number: 22-CR-00345