ST. GEORGE — A Colorado man who was arrested with more than 4.5 pounds of cocaine during a traffic stop last summer has been sentenced to federal prison.
Michael Angelo Muro, 30, of Grand Junction, appeared June 7 before District Judge David Nuffer to be sentenced on one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
The defendant was indicted on the federal charge following his arrest on Aug. 14, 2022, which began when an officer in Washington City stopped the suspect’s vehicle on Interstate 15 near the Washington Parkway exit for a traffic violation.
During the stop, a second officer responded to the scene with a K-9 that indicated to the possible presence of narcotics. In the trunk, officers found a backpack that reportedly contained two large brick-like objects wrapped in brown packaging tape that contained more than 4.5 pounds of a substance that later field tested positive for cocaine.
Muro was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility shortly before midnight and booked into jail facing one second-degree felony count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and driving on a suspended license – a misdemeanor.
One month later, the case was picked up by federal prosecutors and a grand jury returned an indictment against Muro on one federal distribution charge on Sept. 28, 2022. Shortly thereafter, the state case was dismissed.
The case continued to move towards a jury trial, the first of which was scheduled to take place in December 2022 but was postponed until March. One month prior to the start of the trial, Muro appeared in federal court on Feb. 23 for a change of plea hearing at which he pleaded guilty to the charge, and the trial was canceled.
During the June 7 sentencing hearing in St. George, Muro was sentenced to serve 72 months in federal prison. Judge Nuffer also recommended he be housed at a facility in Colorado to facilitate family visitation, which according to court records, includes the defendant’s small children.
The judge also ordered the defendant to participate in any vocation or life skills course that is available, as well as any other treatment for substance abuse that is available at the facility. Upon his release, the judge ordered that Muro be placed on six years’ post-prison supervision.
The defendant, who has remained in federal custody in Washington County since his arrest on Aug. 14, 2022, was turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until he is transported to the federal facility to serve out his sentence.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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