Federal court rejects claims in drug case
A federal panel has rejected the appeal of a man sentenced to life in prison for a drug conspiracy. Court documents said Miguel Garcia, also known as Michael Garcia, of Perley, Minn., was convicted by a Fargo jury in 2006 in a scheme to distribute more than 500 grams of a methamphetamine mixture. He was given a life sentence after two earlier drug convictions.
BISMARCK (AP) — A federal panel has rejected the appeal of a man sentenced to life in prison for a drug conspiracy.
Court documents said Miguel Garcia, also known as Michael Garcia, of Perley, Minn., was convicted by a Fargo jury in 2006 in a scheme to distribute more than 500 grams of a methamphetamine mixture. He was given a life sentence after two earlier drug convictions.
In his appeal, Garcia said his trial should not have been joined with another defendant, Francisca Avila Vargas, because it prejudiced the jury against him.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected that argument, saying jurors were instructed that they must consider each crime separately.
Avila Vargas, of St. Paul, Minn., also known as “Mama,” was given a life sentence. Authorities said she supplied more than 30 pounds of meth to an organization in Fargo.
Tags: court, drug, garcia, minnesota
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