Loveland man sentenced to 12 years
Jose Morales-acevedo, the Loveland man arrested in connection to an alleged drug ring in late 2022, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for two drug felonies he pleaded guilty to in January.
Morales-acevedo, 22, appeared before 8th Judicial District Court Judge Sarah Cure Tuesday afternoon to face sentencing
Moralesacevedo after pleading guilty to possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, a class 2 drug felony, and a special offender charge, a class 1 drug felony.
During the January hearing, Brandon Marinoff, Morales-acevedo’s attorney, said the plea agreement with the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office would result in a total of 12 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections, with eight years for the class 2 felony and 12 years for the class 1, to be served concurrently.
Deputy District Attorney Michael Deschenes said very little on behalf of the prosecution during the sentencing, only saying he believes his office had the evidence to prove the charges against Morales-acevedo had the case gone to trial.
Marinoff spent several minutes passionately speaking on behalf of Morales-acevedo, saying he feels he let his client down because he was unable to convince the DA’S office to give a better agreement for Morales-acevedo.
“I feel like I failed him, because I wasn’t able to communicate that,” he said. “I wasn’t able to present that and convince the District Attorney’s Office that we were dealing with a special soul and they should consider going outside of what they normally do from time to time. And this may be that time.”
He added that since he took on the case, Morales-acevedo has
wanted to take responsibility for his crimes, adding he is at peace that his past is not who he is. He also said the many supporters who came out for Morales-acevedo “speak volumes for what his true character is.”
While Morales-acevedo did not say anything on his own behalf, Cure gave him the chance to hug his daughter goodbye before he was sentenced.
“I take no joy in sentencing you to prison, Mr. Morales-acevedo, I hope you understand,” she said. “I am not sentencing who you are as a person, I am sentencing you for the crimes for which you pled guilty.”
Cure ultimately sentenced Morales-acevedo to the agreed upon 12 years in prison. She told him she knows that he will come out of his sentence and return to his community and family a better person, adding she believes his attorney that he is a “man of honor.”
“I hope this sentence will encourage you to return to your family just as quickly as you can and become a productive member of this community,” she said.
Morales-acevedo was one of several people arrested in October of 2022 for connection to an alleged drug ring.
On Oct. 5, 2022, officers with several partner agencies served search warrants in the 1300 block of Nickel Drive and the 1000 block of East Fifth Street in Loveland, the 900 block of East Swallow Road in Fort Collins and the 300 block of Seventh Street in Frederick, according to a previous release.
Collectively, they seized 3.4 pounds of cocaine, which carries a street value of $64,000, 3.3 grams of fentanyl, 340 tabs of LSD, 500 Xanax pills, 5 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms and narcotics distribution equipment. Also seized were $44,000 in cash and 17 firearms, including one suspected ghost gun, according to the previous release.