(The Center Square) – A man from Albuquerque was convicted by a federal jury after less than 30 minutes of deliberation last week.
The jury convicted Mike Tomasaour of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon on Thursday, June 6, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico.
The case revealed that Tomassaour sold an undercover detective from the Albuquerque Police Department methamphetamine and fentanyl between February and June 2022. These transactions mostly occurred at the Court John Motel in Northwest Albuquerque.
DEA agents scheduled a larger purchase from Tomasaour on June 28, 2022. The agents then executed a search warrant on his motel room.
Agents were set to buy five pounds of methamphetamine and about 2,000 fentanyl pills.
Before the purchase, agents set up surveillance around the motel. The agents saw Robert Grado enter Tomasaour’s motel room with a purple bag before the purchase.
After that, Tomasaour texted the agent that the “groceries” were ready. Then, the agents executed their search warrant.
The agents found a stolen loaded firearm, 92.6 grams of methamphetamine, 101 grams of fentanyl, and $760 in cash in the motel room.
Tomasaour tossed a purple bag out of the motel room window during the search. It contained 2316 grams of meth and 278 grams of fentanyl. Law enforcement searched Grado’s vehicle and found two more guns, 65 grams of fentanyl pills, and 149 grams of meth.
The Court ordered Tomasaour to stay in custody pending sentencing; his sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
Tomasaour faces at least 15 years in prison and up to a life sentence, plus at least five years of supervised release.
On May 9, Grado pled guilty to “conspiracy, aiding and abetting, possession with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon,” a release said.
