Man sentenced to 35 years for trafficking meth, possession of a firearm during a crime

Published 7:03 pm Friday, October 6, 2017

A 23-year-old Dalton man was sentenced to 35 years in prison for trafficking meth and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime by Superior Court Judge Cindy Morris after being convicted by a Whitfield County jury.

According to a press release from District Attorney Bert Poston, Dalton Police Department detectives were investigating Julian Rene Moreno and his brother, Alexander, for the sale of meth.

“That investigation concluded with a confrontation of the defendants while they were stopped in their vehicle. A juvenile female was also present in the car but was not charged. (Julian) Moreno was arrested on unrelated warrants and a search of the vehicle yielded more than a pound of methamphetamine plus two handguns and a bulletproof vest,” the press release said.

At trial, evidence was presented that included photos from Moreno’s cellphone showing him with firearms and with “tens of thousands of dollars in cash.” The press release said Moreno’s defense was that he “was a rap music performer and that the photos on his cellphone were part of that persona but that he was unaware of the drugs found in his vehicle which were blamed on Alexander who had already entered a guilty plea in the case.”

Moreno must serve 65 percent of his sentence or approximately 20 years before being considered for parole.

Blake Skipper, one of the public defenders who represented Moreno, said he thanks the jurors for “their time, consideration and attention.”

“We will be filing a motion for a new trial. That’s standard in a case such as this,” he said.

Alexander Moreno was sentenced on Sept. 26 following a guilty plea reached between prosecutors and his attorney, the press release said. He was sentenced to 15 years to serve on a trafficking charge followed by five years on probation for a weapon charge.

“Alexander Moreno was not asked to testify for the state against his brother or cooperate as part of that negotiated plea,” the press release said.