JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) — A Jefferson County jury deliberated only 40 minutes before finding Kansas resident Jose Chavez-Tellez guilty of being in possession of over 14 pounds of methamphetamine.
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Jose Chavez Tellez (credit: First Judicial District Attorney)
Chavez-Tellez and his wife, Rhonda Chavez-Tellez, were traveling eastbound though Jefferson County on I-70 when they stopped at a truck stop at Ward Road and 44th Avenue on Jan. 2.
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Rhonda Chavez Tellez (credit: First Judicial District Attorney)
After leaving the truck stop, Chavez-Tellez struck a curb, popping both tires on the passenger side of the vehicle.
A Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy noticed Chavez-Tellez backing eastbound in the westbound lanes of 52nd avenue with two flat tires, and the deputy stopped Chavez-Tellez to offer aid.
Prosecutors say the deputy found a large amount of methamphetamine in a shopping bag in the back cargo area of the car. There were 14.65 pounds, or 6,644 grams, of methamphetamine divided into 15 baggies.
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(credit: First Judicial District Attorney)
The street value of the methamphetamine was approximately $350,000.
Prosecutors say they had driven to Los Angeles to pick up the methamphetamine and were returning to Kansas.
Jose Chavez-Tellez, 48, was found guilty of possession with intent to distribute nearly 15 pounds of methamphetamine. He will be sentenced on Oct. 29 and faces a mandatory minimum of 8 to 32 years in prison.
Rhonda Chavez-Tellez, 52, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to six years in prison.
