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Bible-wielding drug dealer found guilty of federal gun and drug charges

Posted at 4:06 PM, Feb 07, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-07 18:06:46-05

DENVER – A 40-year old man is now facing a mandatory 15-years in prison sentence after he was found guilty of Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Prohibited Person, Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.

Miguel Antonio Garcia, was found guilty in U.S. District Court on Wednesday after a three-day trial.  Garcia was first charged by criminal complaint on July 13th, 2018, and was charged by indictment 13-days later.

According to court documents, on July 11th, 2018, an individual called 911 claiming Garcia, who was walking the streets of Denver with a backpack and a Bible, had asked him for a drink. The 911 caller claims he invited Garcia up to his apartment and gave him some water when the defendant pulled a gun from inside his waistband, and another from inside a bible case. Garcia left the apartment when the victim called 911. Minutes later, Garcia was found on the same block carrying a Bible, but without the backpack or the two guns.

After some searching, the backpack was found nearby under a tree. It contained a loaded 10mm semi-automatic handgun, a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun, approximately 360 grams of methamphetamine, two scales, and several empty plastic baggies. The backpack also contained a motel room key sleeve which matched a motel key found in Garcia’s pocket and the backplate of a cellphone which matched the phone in Garcia’s pocket. Additionally, the bible Garcia had at the time of his arrest contained indentation marks on the cover and the case which matched the 10mm handgun in the backpack.