Federal Sting Results in Prison Term for Cocaine Trafficker

A man originally from Mexico was sentenced this week in federal court for selling cocaine in Wyoming and northern Colorado.

Francisco Javier Miranda-Rodriguez, 39, most recently living in Arvada, Colorado, was sentenced Feb. 3 to 16 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence. Federal officials say Miranda-Rodriguez will be deported after completing his prison term.

According to court documents, Drug Enforcement Administration agents learned in March 2025 that Miranda-Rodriguez was seeking customers to buy cocaine. Undercover agents arranged a series of controlled purchases, including a two-ounce sale in Cheyenne on March 13 and another for roughly three ounces on April 3. A third deal for nine ounces took place May 6 in Timnath, Colorado.

Investigators later discussed buying a kilogram of cocaine. Miranda-Rodriguez reportedly said he could obtain that amount and quoted a price of $1,000 per ounce. When agents attempted to finalize the larger deal, communication with him stopped.

Miranda-Rodriguez was arrested June 18, 2025, following a traffic stop. A search of his apartment that same day turned up 92 grams of cocaine. He later admitted to investigators that he had been making monthly trips to Douglas and Casper to deliver drugs for about five months.

“This sentence sends a clear message: drug trafficking will not be tolerated in our communities,” U.S. Attorney Darin Smith said in a statement. “He distributed dangerous drugs across state lines and fueled addiction and crime. Thanks to strong law enforcement work, he will serve time in federal prison and be removed from the country.”

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming.