Colorado Springs Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Felon in Possession of Firearms and Possession of 100 Percent Pure Methamphetamine

Defendant Frequently Traveled by Truck to Glendale, Arizona to Pick up Coolers with Methamphetamine Hidden in Them

DENVER – Roger Wade Anderson was sentenced last week by U.S. District Court Judge Christine M. Arguello to serve 240 months (20 years) in federal prison, followed by 5 years on supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for possession of just under 10 pounds of 100 percent pure methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer and ATF Denver Field Division Special Agent in Charge Ken Croke announced. Anderson, who appeared at the sentencing hearing in custody, was remanded at its conclusion.

Anderson was first indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on March 10, 2016. He pled guilty to the gun and drug crimes on July 18, 2016. He was sentenced by Judge Arguello on October 18, 2016.

According to court documents, including the stipulated facts contained in the defendant’s plea agreement, on July 24, 2015, law enforcement first became aware that an individual named Roger Anderson was distributing large quantities of methamphetamine in the Colorado Springs area. Multiple independent sources confirmed the fact that an individual named Anderson would drive his red Ford F250 truck to Glendale, Arizona to pick up the methamphetamine. During the investigation into Anderson, law enforcement discovered that he would drive several times a month to Glendale, Arizona, stay in a local hotel in a pre-paid room, and would pick up a cooler that had insulation removed so that the methamphetamine was packed in the container’s sides instead.

During one of Anderson’s trips to Arizona, law enforcement conducted surveillance, confirming he left his Colorado Springs home, traveled to Glendale, Arizona, and then drove back to the Colorado Springs area. As the defendant returned to Colorado Springs via I-25, a traffic stop was initiated. During a pat search officers found plastic baggies of methamphetamine in both front pockets. A Colorado Springs Police Officer with a drug certified canine conducted a sniff search of the exterior of the Ford truck. The dog hit on the passenger’s side front door and the driver side of a camper which was in the rear of the truck. Following the obtaining of a search warrant, agents and officers found a cooler in the bed of the pickup truck. When officers removed the cooler and opened it, the cooler contained fish and shrimp which were packed in ice. Officers then removed the liner of the cooler, and observed ten packages of suspected methamphetamine concealed within the cooler. Officers and agents also conducted a search of Anderson’s residence. In addition to finding methamphetamine, amphetamine, and drug paraphernalia, they also found a 12 gauge shotgun in the living room and a .357 revolver in a large black safe. The revolver had been confirmed stolen.

“Methamphetamine is a lethal poison,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer. “Armed dealers bringing that poison into Colorado communities will go to federal prison for a long, long time.”

“Anderson was a major player in the cycle of violence and drugs in southern Colorado, making multiple trips a month to pump more meth into southern Colorado. The number of lives he has ruined, both addicts and their loved ones, is incalculable,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Ken Croke. “By peddling death, violent criminals like Anderson destabilize the strength of an entire community. Our close partnership with El Paso Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Springs PD and other law enforcement in Southern Colorado is designed to remove the insidious parasite of crime so that innocent citizens can live peacefully in their communities.”

This case was investigated by Colorado Springs office of ATF, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and the Colorado Springs Police Department. Anderson was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt Bohn.