FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ohio . Colorado's first fully-licensed legal marijuana tour bus is now open for business. Obviously with the nexus of I-25 and I-70, Colorado seems I think to have a disproportionate share of interstate drug trafficking that flows through our state, Dunn said. ", Fentanyl has flooded Colorado. On Wednesday, the department shared details on the case . 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. Shes been a reporter since 2012, focused on criminal justice. Aurora only hired 17 new police officers last year. The Aurora residence was on the 12100 block of Amherst Circle. This creates a phenomena that is extremely hard for law enforcement to stop, Brian Besser, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Denver field division, told reporters Wednesday. In the last 20 years in Colorado, nearly 5,000 Coloradans died from a prescription opioid overdose. Find 727 listings related to Odom Memorial Community Drug Bust in Aurora on YP.com. Alleged victims recount how they said David Zoda deceived them, collected thousands of dollars in moving charges, then allegedly dumped their belongings in storage lockers in Aurora. Residential rent analysis company, Rentometer, found other double-digit spikes around Colorado from 2021 to 2022 rent increased 15% in Aurora, 13% in Boulder, and shot up 18% in Fort Collins. This is part of a seizure of 200,000 fentanyl pills in Aurora, Around 200,000 fentanyl pills were recently seized in a drug task force drug sting. In 2015, it killed 64 people in the state. More than 20 lbs of cocaine, other illicit drugs, guns and wads of cash were seized in Adams County earlier this week and resulted in four people being arrested, officials said. Rep. Diane DeGette is pushing legislation to expand a federal program to help people pay their utility bills and still make ends meet. There was a 403 percent increase in the number of pounds seized of fentanyl between 2017 and last year on Colorados highways. The record haul from last months bust was packed into 48 one-kilo blocks. 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. Drug dealers are now resorting to innovative methods to flood the market with fentanyl-related substances so they can have maximum appeal to unsuspecting users, Besser said. What do you think. Drug kingpins dont always touch the drugs, but they do always touch the money.. 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. He was in the Denver County jail as of Friday night. All rights reserved. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. He will miss this weekend's NASCAR race at Las Vegas. In 2020, drug overdose deaths were up 34% in Colorado. 29 pounds of methamphetamine, $57,000 in cash, and a Taurus 9mm semi . $18K, 300 pills seized in Aurora drug bust Police found more than $18,000 in cash and more than 300 pills during a traffic stop in west suburban Aurora Tuesday night. All Rights Reserved. Investigators said it is believed the drug trafficking ring in Colorado has ties to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. 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. This is a portion of the money they seized. The DEA, 18th Judicial District, Arapahoe and Douglas County Sheriffs, and Denver Police recently netted a huge bust of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine. Law enforcement seized over 110,000 counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, 6. We are watching a system moving across Utah that will bring increasing snow chances for the mountains for your Friday afternoon and evening. Because of Thursday's law enforcement. At least two of those charged were in the United States illegally, according to a 52-count indictment filed in Colorado District Court. Amanda Lee Summers, 31, was arrested for sell and deliver methamphetamine to law enforcement. The case involves a wiretap investigation that began in December and also netted $60,000 in stolen merchandise. 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.. Subscribe to ourdaily 9NEWSLETTERfor top stories from 9NEWS curated daily just for you. A routine traffic stop in Eagle County led to the discovery of 13.5 pounds of what is believed to be heroin hidden in a child's car seat. PHOTO BY QUINCY SNOWDON/Sentinel Colorado, U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn, at the lectern, speaks with reporters Feb. 19, 2020 providing details of a massive drug bust involving Aurora suspects. 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. Court records indicate Tapio-Rubio operated a multi-kilogram cocaine and methamphetamine distribution network with drugs supplied from Mexico. A 40-year Colorado news veteran, Carol McKinley started in radio, and traveled the world as a network TV correspondent/producer. 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). 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. If it saves one life, for me, it was worth the whole process.. The drug market morphs by the hour. Aurora, IL crime, fire and public safety news and events, police & fire department updates 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. Lizalde and Angelique Torres, who were both in the car, are facing felony drug charges. In the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield MSA, an annual average of 416,000 persons aged 12 or older used any . Example video title will go here for this video. Temperatures will be slightly cooler than where we should be for this time of year. The indictment claims that a person named Julian Green was the "leader and supervisor" of the operation. 5. Daytime high temperatures will be in the mid to upper 40s throughout the front range. That number was nationwide. 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. Four locations were searched in Aurora on Thursday as part of this drug bust, sources say. A Mexican national who was residing in Aurora illegally, Vallejo-Gallo and her group used overland traffickers and UPS shipments to get drugs to the metroplex, according to Dunn. They then distributed the substances across the state. It starts with a small case that can be built into something meaningful, Kellner said. Dunn and Phillips praised the collaborative effort among a variety of federal agencies that helped to build the criminal case against the trafficking groups and to arrest two dozen alleged members. The same week of that large drug bust, Miller seized more . The remaining indictees are on the lam across U.S. and Mexico. (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. Its also very cheap to produce in either China or Mexico, Dunn said. The investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force has been going on for at least a year. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. I called this press conference because behind the scenes there is aggressive and tenacious police work and prosecution being done to save lives and bring justice," Besser said. 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. Hill was charged with Possession with Intent to Sell and Deliver Heroin. Greed is a traffickers main motivation. Largest Database of Colorado Mugshots. Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. Should Denver open a safe drug use site? A Baghdad alum, she has 4 grown children and lives with her husband and her mom. AURORA, Colo. A 24-year-old man was arrested on drug charges late last month after a four-month investigation. ROKU: add the channel from theROKU storeor by searching for KUSA. In my 31 years of law enforcement, I have never seen anything like the current drug crisis, Besser said. 8, 2021 at 9:32 PM PDT. 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. Mills was arrested at the Race Street location. They expect to lose product, but what they want the most is to get them money down south,Besser said. More than 900 people died of fentanyl overdoses in Colorado last year, according to the state health department. Colorado Drug Threat Assessment 2 Colorado's well-developed transportation infra - structure and its central location in the western United States are ideal for the movement of licit and illicit goods into and through the state. (WEHT) Five people were put behind bars in Evansville after a suspicious package led to a large drug bust. 2023 FOX Television Stations, until MON 12:00 PM CST, Lake County, Lake County, until MON 6:00 AM CST, Lake County, Kenosha County, is in effect, LaSalle County, Newton County, from SUN 6:00 PM CST until TUE 12:00 AM CST, Lake County, Newton County, Man charged in shooting death of Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso ordered held without bond, Services announced for Chicago Police Officer Andres Mauricio Vasquez Lasso who was killed in the line of duty, Replay Lincoln Park transforms into iconic 'Paddy's Pub', Lightfoot loses re-election bid, this is the date she will leave office, Man shot, seriously wounded while sitting in parked car on Southwest Side, Des Plaines man charged with attempted murder in motel stabbing, Jesse Wilson: Adoptive mother arrested in boy's death in Arizona, Cook County man charged with murdering woman he dated for 3 years, Chicago man charged in fatal South Shore shooting. Every single bust, and I hate to use that term, is making a substantive community impact on the life-saving front, Besser said. As the spring homebuying season approaches, affordability is at its lowest point in history, one economist said. Tipsters can remain anonymous. The incident followed a domestic disturbance, which was being investigated by the Burt County Sheriff's Office. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. The student group Denver East Students Demand Action led a walkout from class Friday morning to call for legislative action on gun safety measures. 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. In 2021, illegal fentanyl killed 709 people in Colorado, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth are especially vulnerable, Besser said, as they are targeted on social media to purchase these drugs creating an unparalleled accessibility.. According to the documents, some of the drugs sold by Tapia-Rubio were brought in from Mexico, via California. Ive never seen anything like this. So it was essentially meant to throw off anyone who might have seen that, Dunn said. Deputies say Payton Yates and Keith Tacy were living at the house. 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. 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 . Jared Polis has endorsed the proposal to change the name of Mount Evans in a letter to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names. In an unrelated traffic stop of a vehicle headed toward Tulsa, Oklahoma, on I-70 in February, 30,000 fentanyl pills were collected. / CBS Colorado. 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 Colorado legislature may finally let it. Catherine Brooke Harrell, 28, was arrested for prostitution, felony possession of heroin and . - An Aurora resident was indicted for his part in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine. Fentanyl pills, previously known as "blues" because of their blue color, are now available in pink and white. Police executed a search warrant at Ramirez's house located in the 20500 block of East Buchanan Drive on Dec. 29, APD said. Investigators say the group was dealing over two pounds (one kilogram) of heroin every week in Denver. 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. Federal and local law enforcement agencies say the drugs come into the state from Mexico. 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. The drugs are estimated to have a street value in the millions, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Dean Phillips. (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. University of Denver students are calling out campus leaders to halt a controversial speaker stepping foot on campus. Recently passed legislation is working to change things, however. Example video title will go here for this video. 2019 Sentinel Colorado. An Aurora woman led an extensive international drug trafficking organization that distributed high volumes of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and fentanyl throughout Colorado, U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn said at a news conference Wednesday. 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. 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. AURORA, Ill. - Police found more than $18,000 in cash and more than 300 pills during a traffic stop in west suburban Aurora Tuesday night. Perry Bertsch. Several other agencies, including the Aurora Police Department and the criminal investigation branch of the IRS, helped the FBI and prosecutors investigate the local cell of the cartel. Five goals wasn't enough for the Avs to overcome a hot Devils offense. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Scout Motors picks South Carolina for new $2B EV. 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 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. Tipsters can remain anonymous. In 2021, she decided to return to local news. A 19-year-old Arizona man is under arrest in Colorado's high country after authorities found large amounts of drugs in his car. BEAUFORT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - Three people have been arrested in Beaufort County on drug charges and deputies say the street value of the drugs seized is . APD estimated the drugs' street value at more than $200,000. Besser said a lot of drugs pass through Denver because of its central location, but he stressed that not everything is gloom and doom. Kellner acknowledged that stopping this operation will only put a temporary pause on business. for top stories from 9NEWS curated daily just for you. The Lookout is a free, daily email newsletter with news and happenings from all over Colorado. 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. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports are the primary drivers of the recent increase in opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. 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Authorities have also seized $16 million in drug money. - 1.7 pounds of fentanyl tablets (approximately 8,000 to 10,000 pills). 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. Private and rental vehicles and commercial trucks fre-quently are used to transport drugs into and through Colorado. Denver police and firefighters responded to an apartment at 8330 Quincy Avenue for a suspected drug operation. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. illicit drug in the past year. They are available everywhere and can be obtained with little effort.. 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. The availability and accessibility of fake pills (laced with fentanyl) right now is absolutely staggering. SAFFORD Safford Police arrested a man who reportedly admitted to having an estimated 40 grams of methamphetamine for "personal use.". The Aurora Police Department received information about narcotics . As of March 31 in Colorado, a total of about 1.1 million fentanyl pills have been collected although DEA Special Agent Brian Besser said he believes that number has doubled since three months ago. There are about 6 million people living in Colorado.Editor's Note: A previous version of the story said the amount of fentanyl seized could kill as many as 25 million people. AURORA, N.C. (WNCT) A drug bust by the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office resulted in three arrests and the seizure of more than half a million dollars worth of drugs. On Wednesday, Besser, the sheriffs in Arapahoe and Douglas counties, Denver police andJohn Kellner, the district attorney for Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties, announced their latest in a string of fentanyl busts, almost apologizing that fentanyl news is getting so commonplace that theyre afraid people have stopped paying attention. Yates is Pierce's sister. They're sold in the Denver area wholesale for $3 a pill or retail for $10 to $20, investigators say. 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. Perry Bertsch. Police shared the following details about the large amount of drugs that were captured: - 179 pounds methamphetamines - 43 pounds. Come Wednesday, families will be receiving their SNAP benefits without the additional emergency allotments they've been getting for the last three years. There's a rise in anxiety, depression and even suicidal thoughts. Body cam video shows a handcuffed suspect being thrown to ground by an Aurora police officer. The Denver Police Department is launching a new program they say will help them curb crime throughout the city by starting with tracking some cars. 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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. Fatal doses involving the drug have skyrocketed since 2015, and last year, more than 800 Coloradans died after , It sounded just like a plot out of Breaking Bad. It will be a mild and dry start to the weekend. 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. Federal and local law enforcement are executing warrants related to a drugdistributionbust in the Denver metro area Thursday morning. 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. The find was part of a coordinated Aurora drug bust announced Feb. 19, 2020. The group brought drugs into Colorado from Mexico and the West Coast, authorities said. 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. It's a favorite destination for foodies, putting the spotlight on the city's food scene through hundreds of local restaurants. The big storm system from the southwest is still on track to move across southern New Mexico. 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. Aurora Police said the investigation began in September after their narcotics. 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.