No one is immune from this drug crisis. Press Release. The other people indicted on lesser charges could face prison sentences of at least 10 years. Now: 1 location off miss & Peoria in aurora. Arthur Mills, 59, was arrested on Thursday, according to the Denver Police Department. 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Colorado Arrests and Inmate Search In 2021, she decided to return to local news. According. 21, 2022 at 1:05 PM PDT. It has arrested 65 high-level defendants and confiscated 500,000 fake fentanyl pills, 360 pounds of meth, 104 pounds of cocaine and taken nearly 200 guns off the street that were tied to drug operations. Date: 3/3 12:44 am #1 failed to present . Vallejo-Gallo was arrested at her home in Aurora on Wednesday last week and faces drug kingpin charges, Dunn said. In 2015, it killed 64 people in the state. AURORA, Ill. - Eighteen people were arrested and charged with numerous illegal gun and drug related felonies in Aurora Wednesday. The DEA estimates that 1 kilogram of fentanyl, or 2.2 pounds, can kill up to 500,000 people if lethal doses are ingested. The Aurora woman, Candelaria Vallejo-Gallo, who is either 41 or 42, was charged with running the primary operation. News FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation He was in the Denver County jail as of Friday night. By Tony Keith. Besser said investigators are now seeing fentanyl and other deadly synthetic analogs routinely being mixed with conventional street drugs, including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and marijuana. Treatment data indicate that cocaine, particularly crack, commonly is abused in Denver. AURORA, Colo. A 24-year-old man was arrested on drug charges late last month after a four-month investigation. 29 pounds of methamphetamine, $57,000 in cash, and a Taurus 9mm semi . Ive never seen anything like this. The DEA, 18th Judicial District, Arapahoe and Douglas County Sheriffs, and Denver Police recently netted a huge bust of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Police in Colorado Springs made a major drug bust and believe they have their prime suspect in custody. DEA announces one of the largest fentanyl seizures in Colorado history The Colorado legislature may finally let it. They are available everywhere and can be obtained with little effort.. 15) Deandre Hill, 41 years of age, of 138 Middle Road in Aurora. Four arrested following large-scale drug bust in Adams County Nearly 160 pounds of marijuana found in Aurora drug bust; 4 men charged It lists 21 individuals total. Authorities allowed the driver who was caught ferrying a record haul of pure fentanyl powder. Its crucially important to include a financial component in investigations of drug-related crimes, Amanda Prestegard, acting special agent in charge of IRS Criminal Investigations said. March 11, 2022 / 7:35 PM The Aurora Police Department received information about narcotics . Two people got caught with an illegal psilocybin mushroom grow and other drugs in a Lyons home. EVANSVILLE, Ind. All rights reserved. She joined the paper in 2019 and previously worked as a crime reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in Pennsylvania and the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Tennessee. The Special Operations Unit found $18,645 in cash, 250 grams of marijuana, 231 Xanax pills, 108 oxycodone, 25 pills of molly, and a digital scale all in the car. Eighteen arrested in recent Beaufort County drug busts Denver Restaurant Week is officially upon us! A K9 team in Weld County successfully seized more than 88 pounds of methamphetamine recently, worth more than half a million dollars in street value. Come Wednesday, families will be receiving their SNAP benefits without the additional emergency allotments they've been getting for the last three years. Sizemore collapsed at his home in Los Angeles last month after suffering a brain aneurysm. Because of Thursday's law enforcement. Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. Drug-related treatment admissions in Colorado are at relatively high levels. Law enforcement officials reported last month that more than 2 million dosage units of fentanyl were removed from Colorado communities so far this year. The fentanyl pills recovered by authorities were packaged and disguised to look like prescription drugs a tactic used to make the drugs more appealing to users, Dunn said. 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. 24-year-old Hernan Ramirez was arrested in late December after a monthslong investigation. (WEHT) Five people were put behind bars in Evansville after a suspicious package led to a large drug bust. 4, Clovis PD Special Enforcement Team (S.E.T.) "The Boss" performed in Colorado as part of his Springsteen E Street Band 2023 Tour and also surprised a Denver store owner a few hours before the show. served four search warrants in Fresno. 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. 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. Kellner acknowledged that stopping this operation will only put a temporary pause on business. Several of the suspects appeared in federal custody hearings Feb. 19. Denver7 reporter Liz Gelardi tells us more about a drug ring hiding in plain sight. Electric vehicles are the future, at least that's what Colorado's Energy Office is hoping. (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. During the search, authorities uncovered approximately 8.23 pounds of heroin, 4.45 pounds of methamphetamine, and $108,000 in drug money. Colorado had more drug seizures, per pound, from 2017 through 2021 than any other state in the country the second state was California. Denver Health Officials Warn About Increase In Deadly Overdoses Linked To Fentanyl. Shes been a reporter since 2012, focused on criminal justice. Had these pills reached the street, thousands of unwitting end users would have been at significant risk of overdose and death as weve already seen too much of lately in Colorado.. Seven years after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidelines aimed at stopping the over-prescription of opioid painkillers, patients who need those medications to ease chronic pain have been left suffering, some to the point of suicide. 5. 2023 Colorado Public Radio. Federal, state and local law enforcement in Adams County announced on Friday the dismantling of a drug trafficking operation that has led to state-level indictments of 64 people, seizure of $931,000 in U.S, currency and 77,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl, along with methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine. The student group Denver East Students Demand Action led a walkout from class Friday morning to call for legislative action on gun safety measures. Big Denver Drug Bust: Dealer Allegedly Had Nearly 10,000 - WSVN The Drug Enforcement Agency and the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office announced the bust Wednesday in Centennial, saying eight people have been indicted on allegations they were. AURORA | An Aurora woman has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for conspiring to transport large quantities of illicit drugs from Mexico into the U.S., according to the Department of Justice. Jared Polis has endorsed the proposal to change the name of Mount Evans in a letter to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names. DENVER Special agents, police officers and deputy sheriffs on Thursday arrested 80 people on drug and/or gun charges, announced the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Colorado. Private and rental vehicles and commercial trucks fre-quently are used to transport drugs into and through Colorado. Every single bust, and I hate to use that term, is making a substantive community impact on the life-saving front, Besser said. Cold case: Who murdered this man on Lookout Mountain? 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. DENVER (KDVR) Police have announced a significant drug bust in Denver that turned up more than 200 pounds of drugs, including meth, cocaine, heroin, crack and thousands of fentanyl pills. Aurora Police said the investigation began in September after their narcotics team received a tip that Hernan Soria Ramirez was advertising illegal drugs for sale on social media sites. Polis said the plan will build on previous efforts to bring down costs and increase transparency. Gov. NASCAR superstar Chase Elliott had successful surgery for an unspecified injury to his left leg Friday night, hours after a snowboarding accident in Colorado. The remaining indictees are on the lam across U.S. and Mexico. Officials said kids are buying drugs with emojis and text messages and they can do it anonymously. It's a favorite destination for foodies, putting the spotlight on the city's food scene through hundreds of local restaurants. It's the largest drug case in recent history out of the Franklin County, Ohio, prosecutor's office and including 79 people indicted and more than $5 million of narcotics . Investigators part of the North Metro Task Force Drug Task Force says more than 40,000 Fentanyl pills and 20 pounds of cocaine were seized. Denver Police Chief Paul M. Pazen said in a statement that his department "continue to arrest those who prey on those who suffer from addiction. 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. 9Wants to Know saw members of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Aurora Police Department at two locations in Aurora, one was a home, the other a business, in the Mississippi and I-225 area. While conducting a series of arrests across Denver and Aurora Feb. 12, officials also seized large amounts of cash, cars and at least 10 guns, many of which were assault rifles, Phillips said. Adams County Sheriff's Office, Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, Aurora Police Department, Colorado State Patrol, Commerce City . Authorities seized 400 pounds of methamphetamine, 15,000 fentanyl pills, 5 pounds of heroin and 4 pounds of cocaine during the sweeping arrests last week, Dunn said. Deputies conducting a routine traffic stop in Adams County took one person into custody after finding methamphetamine, fentanyl, and stacks of cash in the car. As the spring homebuying season approaches, affordability is at its lowest point in history, one economist said. This is a portion of the money they seized. Even fruit-flavored incarnations of the pill are being found, some being etched with the BMW or Mercedes logos, they said. Authorities have also seized $16 million in drug money. Besser said the I-70 and I-25 corridors are where the deadly drugs head East while money heads South. Shelly Bradbury is the courts reporter at the Denver Post. Dean Narciso The Columbus Dispatch 0:00 1:38 The Franklin County Prosecutor's Office announced late Friday afternoon the indictments of 79 people and the seizure of nearly $6 million in drugs in. 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. The trafficking ring funneled their profits back to Mexico, sometimes by smuggling undeclared bulk cash shipments, according to the indictment, which said members bought property in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico, to try to keep the money from being seized by U.S. authorities. "These are usually going into the hands of our teenagers and our younger adults out there, so anytime you can get a good arrest like this, any hit that we can make that takes this out of the hands of the kids, that's great," Spayth said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. University of Denver students are calling out campus leaders to halt a controversial speaker stepping foot on campus. According to 18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner, about 200,000 fentanyl pills were recovered during the investigation along with 9.4 lbs of heroin, 1 kilogram of cocaine, four guns and. - 43 pounds cocaine If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. 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We can help you keep up. Amanda Lee Summers, 31, was arrested for sell and deliver methamphetamine to law enforcement. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. The alleged network was based in Colorado and distributed drugs to several counties and cities in the region, including Denver, Aurora, Commerce City, Lakewood, and Thornton. The latest reports from Denver Water show our snowpacks rounding towards their state averages already, and there are still two months of snow to go. The investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force has been going on for at least a year. AURORA |Federal authorities on Wednesday unsealed a 30-person indictment that outlines the workings of a sophisticated drug cartel that for years was pumping hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin and cocaine throughout Colorado. Dezmen Albritton. Should Denver open a safe drug use site? 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. Robert D. Grant, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Gregory Thomas, Chief of the Aurora Police Department (APD), announced today the arrest of three individuals for violation . Guns, drugs found at Maven Hotel in Denver on All-Star - FOX31 Denver Authorities seize over 11,000 units of counterfeit fentanyl in Hinds County drug bust (MDPS) By WLBT.com Staff Published: Feb. 1, 2023 at 12:43 PM PST HINDS COUNTY, Miss. Aurora only hired 17 new police officers last year. 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. A months-long investigation in Colorado Springs ended with the arrest of William Johns on Aug. 4. He is listed as the owner of El Rancho Market, also raided on Thursday. Greeley Police arrested a 26-year-old man for reportedly selling large amounts of illegal drugs in the area. In the latest bust, authorities seized 170,000 fentanyl pills outside of an Aurora apartment. A bill at the state Capitol would make some of the biggest changes to the law since it was passed more than 50 years ago. Win tickets to Cheyenne Frontier Days, The Daddy of 'Em All before tickets go on sale! The masked pills caused elevated concern among federal authorities, Dunn said. Investigators say the group was dealing over two pounds (one kilogram) of heroin every week in Denver. In an effort to beef up hiring numbers, the city is reforming its hiring practices by adopting more relaxed standards. 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. They were taken by surprise by Biden's sudden announcement that he would not stop Congress from blocking D.C.'s new sentencing guidelines from going into effect. The Drug Enforcement Administration announced a "major investigation" involving the seizure of 110,000 fentanyl-laced pills in the Denver area. The officers were conducting surveillance on the suspect and knew he had a felony warrant out for his arrest. "They have a bunch of Alprazolam (Xanax) and oxycodone in with other peoples names on, the thing wrapped up in money sock full of money," an officer can be heard saying on bodycam video. 200,000 fentanyl pills seized in what Colorado law enforcement considers life-saving busts, Indie 102.3s March Local 303 Meetup feat: Deva Yoder, News That Matters, Delivered To Your Inbox, Fentanyl is everywhere, and showing up in other illicit drugs. Investigators said it is believed the drug trafficking ring in Colorado has ties to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. First published on March 11, 2022 / 7:35 PM. ROKU: add the channel from theROKU storeor by searching for KUSA. On January 23, 2019, a federal Superseding Indictment was filed against Dana Faulkner, also known as "Diablo" (age 40), of Aurora, CO, charging him with Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances (methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine) in the Rapid City and Northern Black Hills area, Use of Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Crime, / CBS Colorado. There is an unindicted co-conspirator that we are yet to identify as the primary source that would coordinate with this drug trafficking ring, Kellner said. for the State of Colorado (19.3 percent) but is higher than the national rate (14.7 percent) (Figure 1). After another large bust, drug enforcement officials warn the public In the latest drug bust, authorities seized 200,000 fentanyl pills in an operation which was operating out of a business called Hondu Multiservicios, LLC at 6671 Federal Boulevard, according to the grand jury indictment obtained by The Gazette. 32 suspects charged in 'multimillion-dollar Colorado marijuana scheme It will be a mild and dry start to the weekend. The Denver house is located on Race Street where Mills was arrested. Authorities arrested that woman and 23 other members of two Mexican drug trafficking operations that were based in Denver and Aurora during an operation last week, Dunn said. ", RELATED: Denver Health Officials Warn About Increase In Deadly Overdoses Linked To Fentanyl. Officials have arrested 24 of the people mentioned in the indictment on a slew of charges, including racketeering, money laundering and conspiracy to distribute various drugs. Four Loveland men have been arrested and one more is wanted after a Northern Colorado drug investigation that seized thousands of fentanyl pills, more than 12 pounds of meth and more. Perry Bertsch. We are watching a system moving across Utah that will bring increasing snow chances for the mountains for your Friday afternoon and evening. Aurora police find copious amount of drugs during traffic stop ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - The Albuquerque Police Department is trying to get to the root of the problem when it comes to violent crime . The same week of that large drug bust, Miller seized more . 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. Courtesy of the Adams County Sheriff's Office. But it is also very cheap to produce either in China or Mexico. AURORA, Ill. (WLS) -- Three men from Mexico and a Bolingbrook man face drug charges after Kane County Sheriff's detectives said they found nearly 160 pounds of cannabis in a Jeep in west. Thats the most important thing to them. "I hope to return to the Senate later this month," the retiring senator said in a statement. 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). After large fentanyl bust, Colorado drug enforcement officials warn Aurora Police said the investigation began in September after their narcotics. But make no mistake: In this case, my understanding is the drugs here were actually bound for Colorado. According to the documents, some of the drugs sold by Tapia-Rubio were brought in from Mexico, via California. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. So it was essentially meant to throw off anyone who might have seen that, Dunn said. 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. 16) Arthur Moore, 68 years of age, of 712 James Drive in . The influx of fake prescription opioids is a growing and deadly concern for this office and the law enforcement community as a whole, he said. They also confiscated 9.4 pounds of heroin, a kilo of cocaine, four guns including an AR15 rifle and a 9 mm handgun, and an undisclosed amount of cash. 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. A 19-year-old Arizona man is under arrest in Colorado's high country after authorities found large amounts of drugs in his car. The police investigation into Mills led police to search two homes, one in the 3000 block of North Race Street and another in the 12100 block of Amherst Circle in Aurora. Besser had a laundry list of what the DEA is doing behind the scenes to eradicate drug traffic, including the investigation of 50 active cases, a third of which are in the 18thJudicial District. - 1.7 pounds of fentanyl tablets (approximately 8,000 to 10,000 pills). 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. Body cam video shows a handcuffed suspect being thrown to ground by an Aurora police officer. Gov. The Fentanyl is being mixed with heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and illegally produced marijuana. Denver drug bust nets 179 lbs. meth, thousands of fentanyl pills Ramirez posted bond on Dec. 30. Police shared the following details about the large amount of drugs that were captured: - 179 pounds methamphetamines Fentanyl pills, previously known as "blues" because of their blue color, are now available in pink and white. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app, Players given Kratom by Colorado coach, police say, Skier Shiffrin's quest for 86th win extended after downhill, 77 inches of snow fall at Colorado ski area in 9 days, Cellphone data connected man to teen's overdose death, 'So much needless loss': DEA agent hopes to reduce fentanyl-related deaths, Man arrested in teen's fentanyl overdose death in Loveland, Distribution of a controlled substance - fentanyl 4-50 grams, Attempt to distribute a controlled substance - fentanyl 4-50 grams, Possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute - fentanyl 4 grams, Possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute - schedule 3/4. Federal and local law enforcement agencies say the drugs come into the state from Mexico. 200,000 fentanyl pills seized in what Colorado law enforcement Those 11 people are included in a federal indictment that was released later on Tuesday. Prosecutor: 79 indicted in Ohio drug bust, more than $5 million of Five people were arrested in Fort Collins after their alleged role in a drug bust. Police in Arvada got quite a surprise while conducting a search warrant for narcotics distribution. Officials says 30 people were indicted. APD makes arrests following Social Media Drug Operation - KRQE Court records indicate Tapio-Rubio operated a multi-kilogram cocaine and methamphetamine distribution network with drugs supplied from Mexico. Over 11,000 units of counterfeit fentanyl seized in Hinds Co. drug bust In February of 2016, the DEA Strike Force Group began investigating illegal drug trafficking activities of Jose Tapia-Rubio who lived in the 1200 block of E. Arizona Avenue in Aurora, according to the civil forfeiture documents.