(PUEBLO, Colo.) — A man has been found guilty on drug distribution charges after more than 200 pounds of marijuana were found in his storage unit and his truck in December of 2023.
According to the 10th Judicial District Attorney’s (DA) Office, Rafael Mendez was found guilty of possession with intent to sell or distribute on Friday, Oct. 24. The investigation began in the fall of 2023 when tenants of the Osprey Storage Facility in Pueblo began complaining of a foul odor coming from a storage unit at the facility.
The facility’s operators saw Mendez visiting the unit in a silver truck for short periods. Gate records showed Mendez accessed the unit 20 times between Nov. 3 and Dec. 20, 2023. A former law enforcement officer recognized the odor coming from the storage unit as marijuana and reported it to the Pueblo Police Department.
The DA’s Office said the Narcotics Division set up surveillance on the unit after learning the tenants were being evicted. Mendez arrived shortly after and was seen loading two boxes into his truck.
Mendez ultimately agreed to a search of his storage unit, where officers found 69 pounds of marijuana in five boxes inside the unit, all packaged for distribution, the DA’s Office said. A further search of Mendez’s truck revealed another 164 pounds of marijuana, bringing the total to 233 pounds. Also in the truck were found an AR-15 rifle and over 500 rounds of ammunition.
A Class 1 Drug Felony, of which Mendez was found guilty, is punishable by a mandatory sentence between 8 and 32 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections, followed by 3 years of mandatory parole.
Mendez will be sentenced on Jan. 9, 2026.
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