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. 2020 / 07:49 PM MDT. Right, so the reality of the situation is that weed is still illegal at the federal level, and not all states have legal weed. "This investigation demonstrates and corroborates the alarming trend in counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl flooding our streets, as well as the continuing nexus between drug trafficking and violent crime impacting our communities. 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. SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Local stories from 9NEWS. You'd have to be continually hiding that from, you know, even like your local garbage collector. WESTMINSTER, Colo. (CBS4) - The North Metro Drug Task Force arrested two men for allegedly selling drugs from a home after receiving more than 100 complaints. 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. First published on February 19, 2020 / 10:59 PM. Then approaching alleged members of this group was a whole other path that I had to go down. Updated: Oct 8, 2020 / 07:49 PM MDT . Forty-two percent of illicit fentanyl pills tested by the DEA nationwide contained at least 2 mg of fentanyl, considered a potentially lethal dose. 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First published on September 3, 2021 / 3:46 PM. CBS4's Karen Morfitt spoke to Marion Rorke, Substance Use Coordinator for DDPHE, in February about the program that launched in September 2021. You can get naloxone for free from StoptheClockColorado.org. / CBS Colorado, UPDATE: Aurora Woman Who Was 'Kingpin' Of Drug Running Operation Sentenced To Prison. Drug bust - definition of drug bust by The Free Dictionary 4 arrested in Mesa County drug busts; authorities seize - FOX31 Denver The other people indicted face charges ranging from conspiracy to distribute drugs, possession with intent to distribute and money laundering. The drug ring was in operation as early as July 2015. September 3, 2021 / 3:46 PM 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Task Force Takes Down Large Drug Operation In Denver & Aurora October 9, 2022 at 11:49 a.m. The investigation first started in March 2019 after a tip from law enforcement in Las Vegas, Reuter said. On Tuesday, the Center Police Department shared an update on the bust. But there were limitations. Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized more than 2,200 pounds of methamphetamine earlier this month . Kevin Durant moped. Officials says 30 people were indicted. Fentanyl has been found mixed with or in place of oxycodone tablets, cocaine, and heroin in the Denver area, according to DDPHE. Polls show that two thirds of Americans favor recreational pot and around 80% favor medical marijuana. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. "But, unfortunately here in Colorado, the numbers are higher at a 46% increase of drug overdose deaths," Keith Weis, Executive Director of Rocky Mountain HIDTA, said. Investigators at a news conference Wednesday said they connected the weapons recovered at the houses with violent crimes, though the defendants are not charged with violent crimes. And it was just shocking the size and scale of this black market operation. SALON is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. December 2, 2021 / 10:11 AM By holding accountable the high-level organizers of this criminal enterprise and halting the spread of dangerous drugs, we can help save lives in Colorado. 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. If youre thinking of altering your workout routine, youre probably looking for new exercises and equipment to help you reach your fitness goals. . He was in the Denver County jail as of Friday night. All are facing numerous charges for possession and distribution of illegal drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and fentanyl. You can find more resources about fentanyl at www.denvergov.org. DEA agents began the investigation in April by focusing on a single person, Samuel Padilla Romo. Law enforcement connected the trafficking to seven residences spread across the metro area, including homes in east Denver, Commerce City and Thornton, according to the indictment. Why First Republic failed. 64 people indicted in massive Colorado drug ring bust - The Denver Post I approached the Colorado Department of Law. This spring, Le Creuset has introduced an exciting new shade thats already selling fast: shallot, a soft lavender with pink and slight gray undertones. A Boogie wit da Hoodie (nee Artist Dubose) - Dec. 7; the Bronx, NY-born rapper was arrested at his home in Demarest, NJ and charged with possession of marijuana and several handguns; two other men were also charged; had a No. Stories About Drug Bust - CBS Colorado Woman charged as federal 'kingpin' in major metro Denver-wide drug bust Drug overdoses whether it's opioids or other types are preventable," she said. The charges were announced Friday by Colorado Attorney General Phil . This organization was preparing for a battle, Olesky said. DEA announces largest domestic seizure of meth ever | CNN Pretty much every other reporter in Denver had moved on from the story. The reason for that is that one personally actually went on the lam and it took until 2019 to locate him in North Carolina and prompt extradite him back to Colorado. 110,000 fentanyl pills seized from Denver stash houses; 19 indicted in Police say on December 9, 2020, the Nova Scotia RCMP Federal Serious and . I cannot overstate how dangerous that was to the community. 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. Are other banks to follow? EAGLE, Colo. (CBS4) - Detectives pulled off a major drug bust in the Eagle Vail area, arresting Matthew DeAngelo at a home. If convicted as a drug kingpin, she faces 20 years to life in federal prison. You know, how can I work with this individual to get their story out there in a respectful, but also truthful way, to make sure that I wasn't getting spun as well? Keeler: Avs fans, could we please skip Valeri Nichushkin, Nazem Kadri revisionist history? So, let's start from the standpoint of someone trying to start a large, illegal marijuana grow. Mexican cartel elements such as this criminal enterprise are directly responsible for the steady high rate of overdose deaths in the United States from both opioids and methamphetamine. / CBS Colorado. Of the 30 indicted,24 were arrested and one is in state custody on a separate charge. "Without a doubt, our law enforcement here today have saved the lives of Coloradans," Weis said. 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. of heroin and 15,000 fentanyl pills. This is a part of the story that is told very differently depending on who you talk to. They also took out paraphernalia consistent with illegal narcotic sales, a sawed-off shotgun and $9,434 in cash. Law enforcement identified the shop as Supreme Auto Body which was not. two thirds of Americans favor recreational pot and around 80% favor medical marijuana. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Major drug bust in Denver shows Mexican cartels' reach U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn, at the lectern, speaks with reporters Feb. 19, 2020 providing details of a massive drug bust involving Aurora suspects. At a news conference on Wednesday, the District Attorney's Office for the 18th Judicial District announced the grand jury indictments of 19 people in connection with a drug-distribution ring. Those in custody are being held on a $500,000 bond or greater. Agents set up a wiretap on Romos phone and for months tracked his calls, setting up more wiretaps as they identified people who were also involved in drug and gun sales. Acting DEA Administrator Timothy Shea announced the bust at a press conference Wednesday. There's a lot of considerations that need to be carefully weighed to make sure we can slowly chip away at the black market. December 30, 2020. February 19, 2020 / 10:59 PM I had to make a lot of decisions about what was a fair way to portray certain situations. What are some of the policy issues that you're hoping people maybe do consider if they're listening to "The Syndicate"? Copyright 2023 Salon.com, LLC. Most of the arrests were made last week following a law enforcement operation that began in late 2018. PHOTO BY QUINCY SNOWDON/Sentinel Colorado. March 11, 2022 / 2:51 PM SWAT Operation At Westminster Home: 2 Arrested In Drug Bust They also found four firearms, two of them stolen. I mean, I do some editorializing at the end of this show. And what we're seeing right now is a sort of corporatization in the cannabis industry and big Wall Street-backed companies that are starting in multiple states. Oct. If convicted of being a kingpin, Vallejo-Gallo faces at least 20 years and potentially life in prison. Between 2016 and 2020, the number of fentanyl deaths has increased tenfold. Had these pills reached the streets, thousands of unwitting end users would have been at significant risk of overdose and death. Cannabis is a big business and there's a lot of consumer demand for it, so the competition for a limited number of licenses is really stiff. First and foremost is we don't want people to die preventable deaths. / CBS Colorado. Denver Health Officials Warn About Increase In Deadly Overdoses Linked So the idea of being a small "mom and pop" operation and starting from humble roots pardon the pun is just not feasible in many places. ------------------------------------------. While conducting a series of arrests across Denver and Aurora Feb. 12 . Officials say Candelaria Vallejo-Gallo is from Mexico and was in the country illegally. What did it look like when you were trying to gain access to some of these people? 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. I think it is an argument for taking cannabis off the schedule of drugs, or at least getting it out of Schedule I drug classification at the federal level. "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. Drug Ring Busted: DEA Says Group Was Dealing 2 Pounds Of Heroin Each Week In Denver Investigators say the group was dealing over two pounds (one kilogram) of heroin every week in Denver. Tell me a little bit about how you became acquainted with the story that's presented in "The Syndicate." / CBS Colorado. However, the drug ring's alleged leader -- Rivera-Beltran -- is being held in Arapahoe County on a $1M cash-only bond. In 2018, an average of nine Coloradans a month died of illicit fentanyl overdose. Could you talk some about that? Detectives with the Gore Range Narcotics Interdiction Team made the bust Tuesday. The 2020 rate of 25 deaths per 100,000 people is 39% higher than the rate recorded in 2019 and triple the rate from 2000. DENVER - Sixty-four people have been charged in Colorado for their alleged involvement in what officials called an international trafficking and money laundering ring that dealt with fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin and firearms, according to law enforcement officials. So they got plenty of attention at the time, there was a big press conference at the Colorado Attorney General's office, and every outlet in Denver and many around the country, as well, covered this story. Cash, guns and several vehicles were also seized, according to Phillips. This effort is an excellent example of what we accomplish through ongoing collaboration in our state.. 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. Officials on Wednesday said they linked the drugs to the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico but didnt offer details on how they made the connection. The Syndicate had made 12 million dollars in 4 years, and 32 people involved were indicted. Following Colorado drug bust, DA calls for harsher laws surrounding There are some states that just don't have a legal market, so by definition, the only place where you can buy cannabis in those states is "the black market.". You were living in Colorado when the major drug bust happened, right? On that note, you mentioned that you knew early on that you wanted to speak with people on both sides you know, growing and distributing, and then on the law enforcement side. The influx of fake prescription opioids is growing and deadly concern for this office and law enforcement community as a whole. Colorado communities and families have suffered greatly from the opioid epidemicand that impact is getting worse during this pandemic. To be considered a drug kingpin, the individual has to violate the Controlled Substances Act as part of a series of related or ongoing violations. I think the first and most immediate one, or the most obvious one, is just this question of federal legalization. They were using skydiving planes to ship pot out of state. "This investigation is not about the amount of drugs seized or number of people arrested," said Olesky. The massive bust was a collaboration between Carroll County, New Hampshire and Maine. Additionally, the defendant must be an organizer, supervisor or manager of at least five other persons connected in the same activity, and obtain substantial income or resources from the series of violations, U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn said. If you want to plan the perfect spring picnic, food and drink are important, but its certainly not the only factor to consider. Peel saw 191 fatal drug overdoses in 2021 -- up from. Ashlie D. Stevens is Salon's deputy food editor. It can be up to 50 times more potent than heroin and up to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to DDPHE. Well, and something that I found interesting about this reported podcast is that there are a lot of flashy details like, skydiving drug mules, buried bags of cash, partying, cocaine. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. $11.5M bust of drug-trafficking network largest ever in city - CBC Most of the drugs came from Mexico and have a street value in the "millions of dollars," according to Dunn. "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. First published on March 11, 2022 / 2:51 PM. Candelaria Vallejo-Gallo, who is in the U.S. illegally, was arrested at her home in Aurora last week and charged with operating a continuing criminal enterprise (CCE), also known as drug kingpin charge. The indictment does not mention the cartel, though it said Beltran received a call from a Mexican phone number and discussed drug dealing with the caller. June 17, 2020 at 5:33 p.m. Officials with the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force arrested six people and seized methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, psilocybin mushrooms, pot, counterfeit . And then in conjunction with what I was saying earlier, too, they could establish their warehouse right next to the hundreds of legitimate ones that are spread throughout the city. Had these pills reached the streets, thousands of unwitting end users wouldve been at significant risk of overdose and death as weve seen too much of already in Colorado, Dunn said. 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 charge rarely sought, federal authorities announced Wednesday afternoon. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Colorado was on board, but they wanted to wrap up all their court cases before revealing more information at the time. Drug bust - definition of drug bust by The Free Dictionary Mills has gone before a judge and bond was set. Would we have as much black market activity, and would a group like this have been able to pull off the feat they did, if we had just across-the-country legal cannabis? Most, if not all of the fentanyl pills were disguised to look like prescription oxycodone. The state of Colorado expanded the program in 2008 and quickly registered so many caregivers that the state couldn't really monitor what each and every one of them was going. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. ", First published on December 2, 2021 / 10:11 AM. So, the law enforcement side, that's easier to answer. The Avalanche championship dynasty crumbles less than a year after hoisting the Stanley Cup. In that same time frame, deadly overdoses increased by 22%.
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