Milwaukee man sentenced to prison for drug trafficking in Portage Co.

STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WSAW) - A 47-year-old Milwaukee man has been sentenced to nearly a decade in prison after being convicted of drug possession with the intent to deliver cocaine.

Virus Moore appeared in Portage County court on Friday where he was sentenced to eight years in prison with an additional 10 years of extended supervision.

Online court records show that Moore pled no contest and was found guilty of the cocaine charge in December. Both the felony narcotics and heroin charges were read in and dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

Portage County District Attorney Cass Cousins said a search warrant was executed on the south side of Stevens Point in June of 2021 by multiple law enforcement agencies. Authorities found a backpack hidden in the basement of a home that contained large amounts of cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. Based on the amount of drugs found, investigators determined that they had been brought to Portage County and would be further distributed from there. They estimated a total street value to be approximately $30,000.

Moore was charged in connection to the drugs in late 2023 after further investigation determined his role in obtaining and possessing them. Two other co-defendants have already been sentenced to prison for their roles in the drug conspiracy.

“This prosecution was the result of an extremely diligent and persistent investigation by the Stevens Point Police Department and other agencies,” Cousins said. “Not only to interdict these controlled substances, but to perform the necessary follow-up investigation to identify all of the different members of the conspiracy and enable my office to prosecute them.”

In the sentencing remarks, the judge said that the evidence against Moore indicated he was a professional drug trafficker and highlighted the harm caused by importing drugs.