Updated: 10:33 PM MST February 19, 2020 DENVER A woman who's accused of being the ringleader of a large drug ring operation in the Denver metro area has been charged as a kingpin, a. April 28, 2020 / 11:48 AM / CBS Colorado COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) - Police in Colorado Springs made a big drug bust in Fountain thanks to the help of K9 officer Sugar. DENVER Twenty-one people have been charged in Colorado for their alleged involvement in a drug trafficking ring linked to a Mexican cartel, according to law enforcement officials. So I approached the state and say, "Hey, I can tell you spent a lot of resources and time on this investigation, and I want to help you spotlight the work that you did, and also find out what this says about the black market.". "The larger criminal enterprise used Denver and Aurora as a base of operations for distribution throughout the state and elsewhere throughout the United States," Phillips said. 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. So, the state's stayed tight-lipped about this for about four years, but I knew that I if I could ever get access to some of the operatives who were allegedly involved in this group, as well as get the law enforcement side, it would just be a fascinating insight into how black market groups operate. "DEA lab testing revealed, on average, 2 out of every 5 pills laced with fentanyl contains a potential lethal dose," said David Olesky, DEA Denver Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge. Major drug bust in Denver shows Mexican cartels' reach They said that several ringleaders of the organization were indicted on violations of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act and the Colorado Controlled Substances Act. Along with the drugs, law enforcement officials seized 28 guns, rifle-rated ballistic vests, 100-round drum magazines, armor-piercing ammunition and three hand grenades from the houses. Officers found more than $760,000 worth of drugs. What I hope you take away from the indictment today of 19 people who were peddling poison in our community is that one pill alone can kill, 18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner said, noting law enforcement likely saved thousands of lives by confiscating the pills. So, let's start from the standpoint of someone trying to start a large, illegal marijuana grow. If convicted of being a kingpin, Vallejo-Gallo faces at least 20 years and potentially life in prison. You could try to do it inside, but that requires huge amounts of electricity and then you have to deal with the huge amount of waste that comes with harvesting cannabis. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of overdose deaths in Colorado involving fentanyl more than doubled, from 222 to 540. The massive bust was a collaboration between Carroll County, New Hampshire and Maine. SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Local stories from 9NEWS. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. If there is a huge markup, the vast majority of buyers are still going to turn to the black market because they're just like, "No, I'm not willing to pay twice as much to get weed from a dispensary.". The Denver Police Department will continue to arrest those who prey on those who suffer from addiction, Chief Paul M. Pazen said in a news release. Requests spiked to 1,200 after investigators said fentanyl likely caused the deaths of five people in Commerce City. 2020 Celebrity Drug Busts from A-Z - CelebStoner.com DENVER (KDVR) Law enforcement announced Wednesday the results of a very significant operation that resulted in the arrest and charging of more than two dozen members of a major Mexican drug trafficking operation based in Denver. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. In his new podcast "The Syndicate," journalist Chris Walker goes beyond some of the case's flashy details, speaking to both the members of the criminal organization and the law enforcement agents who took them down, and uncovers how the push for legal marijuana in some states actually drives up black market demand nationally. I think there's this misconception that in an era of increased marijuana legalization that there's less "need" for a black market, or that smuggling is on the decline but what is the reality of the situation? An eight-month investigation into a drug trafficking ring based in metro Denver led law enforcement to seize 110,000 fentanyl pills, 13 pounds of meth, 8 pounds of heroin, 24 pounds of cocaine. But once that happened, I was able to see a lot of evidence that existed around this case that I knew existed, but was sealed to me before which included about 100 hours of recorded interrogation tape with 20 tapes. In total, investigators and law enforcement recovered 77,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained varying amounts of fentanyl. 20 people charged, $61M worth of drugs seized in largest bust in 64 people indicted in massive Colorado drug ring bust - The Denver Post The first batch of people were prosecuted by Weisers office and the 1st Judicial District Attorneys Office in Jefferson County, and two more series of indictments were filed in Adams County and are being prosecuted by the officers of Weiser and Mason. Federal indictments that were unsealed Wednesday name 30 defendants at least 24 have been arrested for their roles in two separate drug organizations that were involved in weekly high volume narcotics trafficking, according to Phillips. Three people have been charged following a major bust at two residences in West Nipissing in which police seized illegal drugs with a street value of more than $8 million. The indictment outlines the extensive investigation by a coalition of Denver-area agencies working with the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area into the trafficking ring. Detectives with the Gore Range Narcotics Interdiction Team made the bust Tuesday. 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So there are well-established markets in both states that have legal cannabis and in states that don't. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Law enforcement identified the shop as Supreme Auto Body which was not. Officialssays 30 people were indicted including the so-called drug kingpin who ran the operation. The investigation first started in March 2019 after a tip from law enforcement in Las Vegas, Reuter said. And they [the members of "The Syndicate"] were also taking advantage of an antiquated law in Colorado called the caregiving program. . Right, so the reality of the situation is that weed is still illegal at the federal level, and not all states have legal weed. Drug Enforcement Administration Denver Field Division, Photos from the DEA show thousands of fentanyl pills and several pounds of meth seized in the dismantling of a drug trafficking organization, Colorado law enforcement officials announce arrest of 64 in international drug trafficking ring, Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. In Denver alone, there were 350 drug overdose deaths between Jan. 1, 2020, and Nov. 30, said Deanne Reuter, special agent in charge with the DEA, at the news conference. The Aurora Police Department assisted in the seizure on Amherst Circle.