DENVER – The U.S. Department of Justice reports that on Tuesday, 23-year-old Daniel Mata-Armendariz, of Colorado Springs, was sentenced to serve 120 months in federal prison for distribution and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
Following the sentence, Mata-Armendariz was also ordered to serve four years on supervised release.
According to the DOJ, Mata-Armendariz was indicted by a federal grand jury in February of 2018. He pled guily on June, 5th, and was sentenced November 13th.
The DOJ said that according to facts contained in his plea agreement, Mata-Armendariz sold quantities of meth, as well as cocaine and heroin to an undercover law enforcement officer. On November 21, 2017 he offered to sell the undercover officer an ounce of heroin and asked the officer he wanted to purchase firearms. Eventually, Mata-Armendariz would sell the undercover officer over 400 grams of meth, 14 grams of heroin, 22 grams of cocaine, and a 9mm pistol over several transactions.
On January 1, 2018, Mata-Armendariz was pulled over in Colorado Springs. The DOJ said that during this lawful stop, officers learned Mata-Armendariz had an outstanding felony warrant. They also observed a loaded handgun in plain view. A run of the serial number revealed the gun was stolen. While searching the car, officers also located 15 grams of heroin, 4.9 grams of cocaine, and 69.4 grams of meth.
The next day officers executed a search warrant at Mata-Armendariz’s apartment and recovered numerous firearms, including two AK-47’s and a .40 caliber pistol.
