Drug bust in the Denver metro on Thursday. Sign up here and we will see you in the morning! Illicit Drug Use. A deputy's knack for sussing out mules has made a lonely stretch of I-70 the top drug-bust site in Colorado Mesa County deputy Mike Miller has patrolled a stretch of desert west of Grand Junction for decades. At the news conference, officials also highlighted the Colorado State Patrols recovery last month of 114 pounds of pure fentanyl on Interstate 70 near Georgetown from a vehicle headed toward Denver. In 2015, it killed 64 people in the state. The Lookout is a free, daily email newsletter with news and happenings from all over Colorado. On Feb. 28, the drug task force made up of officers from the Safford, Thatcher, and Pima Police departments, Graham County Sheriff's Office, and Arizona Department of Public Safety, raided the residence at about 6:45 a.m. by announcing their presence via a loudspeaker and breaching the front door using door rams and pry bars. In Denver, the Denver Department of Health reported "the percentage change in drug-related deaths for the six months of . Courtesy of the Adams County Sheriff's Office. Thats the most important thing to them. Police shared the following details about the large amount of drugs that were captured: - 179 pounds methamphetamines - 43 pounds. for top stories from 9NEWS curated daily just for you. However, groups like Vallejo-Gallos are increasingly manufacturing the potent opioid to bump their profit margins by camouflaging it as more sought-after and expensive prescription pills. Investigators said it is believed the drug trafficking ring in Colorado has ties to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. It was led by Saul Ramon Rivera-Beltran, 30, of Thornton, according to the DEA, who they said coordinated the drug shipments and deals from Mexico. AURORA, Mo. Denver7 reporter Liz Gelardi tells us more about a drug ring hiding in plain sight. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. There's a rise in anxiety, depression and even suicidal thoughts. An investigation that began with a probe into a cocaine ring has led to 19 arrests in operations that involved moving black market drugs in and out of Colorado, according to a news release from. The big storm system from the southwest is still on track to move across southern New Mexico. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Colorado law enforcement officials said Wednesday that millions of lives may have been saved after several months of undercover investigation into those suspected of distributing illegal fentanyl pills. President Biden had basal cell carcinoma removed from his chest, the White House shared. Douglas. These cases were combined, and eight people were ultimately indicted in June from both cases following undercover busts and wiretaps that happened between December 2021 and May. Drug and weapons suspect in Maven Hotel bust worked construction, has child, and lengthy criminal history Managers also noted that the person who was renting one of the rooms had requested to. The investigation that turned into a joint wiretap probe with the 18th Judicial District, DEA, Arapahoe County and Denver police began in December 2021, Kellner said. (WLBT) - Two people were arrested for having possession of over $200,000 in drugs, along with a few firearms, In Hinds County on Wednesday, January 25. Private and rental vehicles and commercial trucks fre-quently are used to transport drugs into and through Colorado. NBA investigating social media post by Ja Morant following game in Denver, State Democrats introduce assault weapons ban, How a debate over support for the ERA turned into anti-trans rhetoric at the Colorado state Capitol, Colorados Mount Evans could soon be Mount Blue Sky. ROKU: add the channel from theROKU storeor by searching for KUSA. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. Angelina Maestas posted court documents on Facebook that openly accused another member of the trafficking operation with cooperating with police. Youth are especially vulnerable, Besser said, as they are targeted on social media to purchase these drugs creating an unparalleled accessibility.. The DEA estimates that 1 kilogram of fentanyl, or 2.2 pounds, can kill up to 500,000 people if lethal doses are ingested. DENVER - Following a two year criminal drug investigation, 54 defendants were named in four separate indictments charging various violations of the Controlled Substances Act, the United States Attorney's Office and the Metro Gang Task Force announced. They pulled him over, smelled marijuana, and found the drugs and cash in the car. Federal and local law enforcement are executing warrants related to a drugdistributionbust in the Denver metro area Thursday morning. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. So its often times mixed with other substances often times inert substances, and then pressed into pill form to look like prescription Oxycodone or other drugs and then sold.. Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. Four. The officers were conducting surveillance on the suspect and knew he had a felony warrant out for his arrest. A 24-year-old is under arrest and being held on a drug charge after an extensive police operation in which some officers donned hazmat suits before entering a southeast Denver apartment. Denver leaders including Mayor Michael Hancock and Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen spoke with journalists on Sunday afternoon after what police describe as a "suspicious occurrence" near Coors Field. Get content and information right now for cant-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered right to your inbox. The civil forfeiture documents filed in federal court in Colorado name 14 people and mention there are others involved in bringing cocaine and meth from Mexico to Colorado. served four search warrants in Fresno. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. AURORA, Colo. A 24-year-old man was arrested on drug charges late last month after a four-month investigation. The Aurora Police Department received information about narcotics . In the search of his home and his two vehicles, police said they found more than 80,000 fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills, 500 grams of suspected Xanax and more than $1,800 cash. Federal and local law enforcement busted suspected members of a Mexican organization accused of distributing cocaine and meth in Colorado and other state, sources tell 9Wants to Know. Anyone who has a tip related to illegal drug dealing in Denver can share it with police through Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867). Approximately 15,000 candy-colored pills were seized in Manhattan, according to the DEA. Because of its central location, Colorado is now a critical trans-shipment hub in the West for drug smugglers, officials warned, and the price has become right. The indictment claims that a person named Julian Green was the "leader and supervisor" of the operation. Ramirez posted bond on Dec. 30. Cant take statins? SAFFORD Safford Police arrested a man who reportedly admitted to having an estimated 40 grams of methamphetamine for "personal use.". State and federal authorities confiscated 200,000 fentanyl pills, 9.4 pounds of heroin, a kilogram of cocaine and multiple firearms in an operation they say culminated in one of the largest seizures of fentanyl pills in Colorado history. Court records indicate Tapio-Rubio operated a multi-kilogram cocaine and methamphetamine distribution network with drugs supplied from Mexico. Another six people were also charged as a result of a year-long investigation: four members of the alleged ring who remain at large in Mexico, one who remains at large in the United States and one individual who is in state custody, Dunn said. Washington, D.C. Man Convicted After Nine-Day Trial for Use of a Firearm in Connection with a Murder and a Robbery, and for a Drug Distribution Conspiracy. In 2020, drug overdose deaths were up 34% in Colorado. (CBS4) - The U.S. Department of Justice says a drug strike force dismantled a major drug dealing operation which was working in Denver and Aurora. Aurora only hired 17 new police officers last year. Denver Health Officials Warn About Increase In Deadly Overdoses Linked To Fentanyl. The suspects, aged 25 to 71, were rounded up following an investigation that authorities have called 'Colorado's largest marijuana bust' since the drug was legalized for medical use in November 2000. In my opinion, bulk fentanyl quantities like this hold the caliber of weapons of mass destruction-type concern when we take into consideration the worst possible outcomes of this poison being pushed out in mass to our communities, said Brian Besser, the special agent in charge of the DEAs Denver Field Division. Theyre here. Now: 1 location off miss & Peoria in aurora. Yates is Pierce's sister. - 1.7 pounds of fentanyl tablets (approximately 8,000 to 10,000 pills). Published: Jun. The leader of the group, Candelaria Vallejo-Gallo, was arrested last week in her Aurora home, according to Dean Phillips, acting special agent in charge at the Denver division of the FBI. 2019 Sentinel Colorado. Temperatures will be slightly cooler than where we should be for this time of year. 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