According to the three and information from the attorney generals office, the 64 people who have been charged saw Colorado Statewide Grand Jury indictments against them returned between October 2019 and Thursday. Please enter valid email address to continue. Yeah, it's tough because I feel like in these situations, the truth always lies somewhere in between, right? December 30, 2020. If you want to plan the perfect spring picnic, food and drink are important, but its certainly not the only factor to consider. Arthur Mills, 59, was arrested on Thursday, according to the Denver Police Department. If you want to plan the perfect spring picnic, food and drink are important, but its certainly not the only factor to consider. The DEA began its investigation in April 2021. "This criminal enterprise was responsible for poisoning our community and furthering the opioid and methamphetamine epidemic, but today our community is safer," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Dean Phillips. 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? SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Local stories from 9NEWS. 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, the Denver Department of Health reported "the percentage change in drug-related deaths for the six months of January-June from 2019 to 2020 was 83%, with fentanyl-related overdose deaths experiencing a 354% increase in those same timeframes." RCMP arrest 14 people, seize 'significant quantity of drugs, firearms and cash' in major drug trafficking bust. The answer is probably no. Was that a fear of yours? Has Denver seen its last snow of the season? Elise Schmelzer is the public safety reporter at The Denver Post and covers policing, crime and criminal justice. Mills was arrested at the Race Street location. 'This Organization Was Preparing For Battle': Colorado Authorities of cocaine, 5 lbs. Associated Press articles: Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. I mean, California is experiencing problems on that front because weed is so heavily taxed there that many people are still choosing to use their street dealer rather than buying it a dispensary. 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. Why First Republic failed. Dunn also noted that most of the seized fentanyl pills were disguised to look like oxycodone. Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Dean Phillips said the technique aims to increase profits and prevent users from knowing the lethal consequences of their narcotics. Law enforcement identified the shop as Supreme Auto Body which was not. DENVER (CBS4)- Denver public health officials are warning residents about a recent increase in deadly overdoses, specifically those linked to fentanyl, and a quickly changing drug supply. Acting DEA Administrator Timothy Shea announced the bust at a press conference Wednesday. So, all of which to say, federal legalization is a step towards combating some of these problems, but it's a long road ahead. Of the 30 defendants indicted, 24 have been arrested and one is in state custody on a separate charge. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Agents said Colorado communities are safer now with the seized drugs and weapons off the streets, but the work is far from over. . It can be up to 50 times more potent than heroin and up to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to DDPHE. 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. "This investigation is not about the amount of drugs seized or number of people arrested," said Olesky. Please enter valid email address to continue. 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. So, in Denver, there are over 600 cannabis cultivation facilities. But that's not to say that there isn't also a thriving black market in states that have legalized weed. 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. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of overdose deaths in Colorado involving fentanyl more than doubled, from 222 to 540. In total, investigators and law enforcement recovered 77,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained varying amounts of fentanyl. ", First published on December 2, 2021 / 10:11 AM. 1,143 grams of cocaine 2,931 grams of synthetic cannabis 1 litre of Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) $60,010 cash Eight people have been charged and more than a quarter million dollars in drugs and cash. 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 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. Agents identified Beltran as the leader of the group. You can get naloxone for free from StoptheClockColorado.org. TORONTO - Twenty people are facing rafts of charges each and more than $61 million worth of cocaine, crystal meth and marijuana was seized in what Toronto police are calling the largest drug . Armed with search warrants, several police units converged on two residences in the community on Sept. 15, the Nipissing West Ontario Provincial Police said in a . Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is strictly prohibited. The find was part of a coordinated Aurora drug bust announced Feb. 19, 2020. There are decisions and various powers given to authorities to award licenses depending on what the municipality's comfort level with how many pot shops they'll allow and how many grow facilities they will allow. For me as a journalist that specializes in narrative stories, I feel like some of those details are necessary if you're really going to delve into a lot of policy angles and bigger picture questions about the law and justice in the United States. At about 9:30 in the morning multiple law enforcement agencies executed two search warrants in the Casa de Cortez Apartments. Vallejo-Gallo is a Mexican national in the country unlawfully, who has been charged with operating a continuing criminal enterprise which is also known as a drug kingpin charge. 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Whenever we take drugs off of our streets, we make our community a safer place in which to live, Mason said in a statement. "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. Kevin Durant moped. I mean, I do some editorializing at the end of this show. "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. Could you talk some about that? Fentanyl alone drove the increase in opioid deaths in 2020, according to the Colorado Health Institute. They also took out paraphernalia consistent with illegal narcotic sales, a sawed-off shotgun and $9,434 in cash. 8 charged, more than $260,000 in drugs and cash seized in - 630CHED $11.5M bust of drug-trafficking network largest ever in city - CBC Officials says 30 people were indicted. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. In 2015, Joe was caught with $374,000, a gun, and 66 pounds of marijuana. Woman charged as federal 'kingpin' in major metro Denver-wide drug bust by: . Aurora Woman Who Was 'Kingpin' Of Drug Running Operation Sentenced To Prison. Greed is a traffickers main motivation. DENVER (CBS4) - The Drug Enforcement Administration announced a "major investigation" involving the seizure of 110,000 fentanyl-laced pills in the Denver metro area. 23 hit with "Numbers" in 2020. First published on February 19, 2020 / 10:59 PM. (CBC) In a news release, Toronto police describe a. 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. 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. A small bag of straight Fentanyl on display (Photo by Ty Wright for/ For The Washington Post via Getty Images), the deaths of five people in Commerce City, Big Denver Drug Bust: Dealer Allegedly Had Nearly 10,000 Fentanyl Pills, 179 Pounds Of Meth. The Denver DEAs Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Strike Force led the investigation in partnership with Arvada police. Using that statistic, Colorado law enforcement estimated the 110,000 pills they seized couldve contained more than 46,000 lethal pills. Forty-two percent of illicit fentanyl pills tested by the DEA nationwide contained at least 2 mg of fentanyl, considered a potentially lethal dose. Here's an example. SWAT Operation At Westminster Home: 2 Arrested In Drug Bust Please enter valid email address to continue. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. This has happened in Canada, for instance, where there are jurisdictions with just no pot shops, so everyone in that jurisdiction who wants to buy weed has to get it from a black market dealer, right? You can try to do it outside, but that's seriously exposed and easy to see from the air. Well and you address this in the podcast but what is the reality like for someone who is growing illegally who wants to start growing legally? First and foremost is we don't want people to die preventable deaths. Why First Republic failed. Some of those details did come out in the initial media coverage and press conference around the bust in 2015. According to the indictments and other court documents, following an investigation that began in late 2018, agents seized approximately 400 pounds of methamphetamine, five pounds of heroin, four pounds of cocaine, and 15,000 fentanyl pills, which were disguised to look like prescription oxycodone. Polls show that two thirds of Americans favor recreational pot and around 80% favor medical marijuana. The influx of fake prescription opioids is growing and deadly concern for this office and law enforcement community as a whole. DEA announces largest domestic seizure of meth ever | CNN 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.". The drug ring was in operation as early as July 2015. In Denver, the Denver Department of Health reported "the percentage change in drug-related deaths for the six months of January-June from 2019 to 2020 was 83%, with fentanyl-related overdose deaths experiencing a 354% increase in those same timeframes."