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Pueblo Man Sentenced to 248 Months for Drug and Firearms Convictions
A Pueblo man, David Wayne Watkins, has been sentenced to 248 months in prison for his role in a string of crimes related to drug trafficking and firearms possession.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, Watkins, 46, was convicted by a federal jury last year on five counts, including possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle.
The charges against Watkins stem from a December 2023 traffic stop by the Pueblo Police, where officers recovered a loaded handgun from his waistband, $52,000 in cash, 378 fentanyl pills, and 25 grams of pure methamphetamine. A search of his hotel room revealed a short-barreled rifle and additional ammunition.
“We are committed to making Pueblo safer, and putting Mr. Watkins behind bars for the next 20 years advances that goal,” said United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly. “I am grateful to both our federal and local partners for the excellent work they did to get him and his illegal guns and drugs off the streets.”
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence. Watkins is currently serving a 248-month sentence. The investigation was handled by the Pueblo Police Department and the FBI Denver Field Office, with the Violent Crime and Immigration Enforcement Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado handling the prosecution.
Defendant: David Wayne Watkins
Criminal Charges: Possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle
City and State: Pueblo, Colorado
Date: December 2023 (arrest date), 2024 (sentencing date)
Sentence: 248 months in prison
Dollar Amounts: $52,000 in cash
Key Facts
- State: Colorado
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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