Cold Spring Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Methamphetamine and Being an Illegal Alien with a Firearm

MINNEAPOLIS—Today in federal court, a 36-year-old Cold Spring man pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it and being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Tomas Hermosillo Marquez pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. Marquez, who was indicted on October 15, 2012, entered his plea before Chief United States District Judge Michael J. Davis.

In his plea agreement, Marquez acknowledged that on September 21, 2012, police officers found several packages of methamphetamine in his trailer home in Cold Spring, Minnesota during the execution of an early morning state search warrant. The police also found a .22-caliber revolver and ammunition, a digital scale with methamphetamine residue, packaging materials, and $4,615 in cash. In addition, the police found MSM and inositol, common cutting agents for methamphetamine. The methamphetamine weighed approximately 900 grams in total. Marquez acknowledged that he intended to distribute the methamphetamine to another person, that he possessed the gun in connection with his drug trafficking activities, and that he is an illegal alien.

For his offenses, Marquez faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a potential maximum penalty of life in prison, as well as possible fines and forfeitures. Chief Judge Davis will determine his sentence at a future hearing, not yet scheduled.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas M. Hollenhorst. To learn more about the harmful effects of methamphetamine, visit http://www.justice.gov/dea/concern/meth.html.