Colorado Springs man sentenced to 23 years for trafficking meth and fentanyl

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - A 36-year-old Colorado Springs man has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for a 2023 arrest in Douglas County that resulted in multiple convictions for trafficking meth, fentanyl, and cocaine.

According to the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office, Michael Hemersbach was pulled over on I-25 by a Colorado state trooper on July 13, 2023. The trooper said the vehicle weaved out of its lane four times before the stop was initiated.

The DA's Office said the trooper reported smelling marijuana coming from the vehicle and Hemersbach's eyes were bloodshot and watery. He also did not perform roadside maneuvers "as a sober person would."

According to the DA, a Douglas County K9 performed an open-air sniff of the car and alerted to the presence of drugs. A search of the car turned up large amounts of cash, multiple cell phones, and small baggies of meth, cocaine, and ketamine. A backpack was also discovered with three pounds of meth and a pound of fentanyl in it.

Hemersbach pleaded guilty to the following charges:

Possession with Intent to Manufacture or Distribute a Controlled Substance (Fentanyl)
Possession with Intent to Manufacture or Distribute a Controlled Substance
(Methamphetamine)
Possession with Intent to Manufacture or Distribute a Schedule I or II Controlled
Substance (Cocaine)
Driving while Ability Impaired (3+ Priors)

The DA's Office said this is the third time Michael Hemersbach has been convicted of drug distribution.