Following a drug bust in Colorado this week where 110,000 counterfeit pills cut with fentanyl were seized, one Front Range District Attorney is calling for revised laws surrounding the drug. 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. "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. PHOTO BY QUINCY SNOWDON/Sentinel Colorado. So in many states, including Colorado where this story is based, they've actually handed down a lot of control over the cannabis industry to local municipalities and cities. COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (CBS4) - The North Metro Task Force made a large drug bust at an auto body shop in Commerce City. Every single person was different,so those conversations were always interesting for me to test out. 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. That's just like a massive wave of support for federal legalization, which could immediately tackle part of this problem. With a big bust like this one, there are almost always an array of charges involved. 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. 64 people indicted after bust of international drug trafficking ring in Colorado Sixty pounds of heroin, 77,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl and $931,000 was seized. They then used a confidential source to place recorded calls with Romo and set up a controlled purchase of $1,600 of methamphetamine. This press conference made a splash. (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. 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. 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. Using that statistic, Colorado law enforcement estimated the 110,000 pills they seized couldve contained more than 46,000 lethal pills. In response to this data, DDPHE urged caution around drugs bought from any source other than a pharmacy, as those drugs could contain fentanyl and vary greatly in strength and contents. Drug overdoses whether it's opioids or other types are preventable," she said. Why First Republic failed. 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. They had paperwork that was official and signed by the state of Colorado. SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Local stories from 9NEWS. April 28, 2020 / 11:48 AM 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. Then there is state involvement as well. You still need to make sure that consumers can find weed in conveniently available locations. 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. 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 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 find was part of a coordinated Aurora drug bust announced Feb. 19, 2020. Then approaching alleged members of this group was a whole other path that I had to go down. 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. And they [the members of "The Syndicate"] were also taking advantage of an antiquated law in Colorado called the caregiving program. They'd covered the bust, but they were on to other things. 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. SALON is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. I mean, it thoroughly dismantled this group. RELATED: Big Denver Drug Bust: Dealer Allegedly Had Nearly 10,000 Fentanyl Pills, 179 Pounds Of Meth. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. The officials said that 1 in every 4 of those pills, known as M30s, contained a lethal dose of fentanyl. 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. The investigation first started in March 2019 after a tip from law enforcement in Las Vegas, Reuter said. Four suspects are in Mexico and one is at large in the U.S., according to federal authorities. Of the 30 indicted,24 were arrested and one is in state custody on a separate charge. 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. Drug bust - definition of drug bust by The Free Dictionary 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. 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. Denver residents can also get that medicine, along with fentanyl test strips, sent to them for free from the city. 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. Example video title will go here for this video. Some of the people discussed working with people in Mexico to source the purchases, according to the indictment. Agents said Colorado communities are safer now with the seized drugs and weapons off the streets, but the work is far from over. All rights reserved. 2020 / 07:49 PM MDT. First and foremost is we don't want people to die preventable deaths. 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 crossing several counties -- including Arapahoe, Douglas, Denver and Jefferson counties. In addition to the drugs and weapons that were recovered, the investigation also dug up an alleged money laundering operating that sent money back and forth to Mexico from Adams County, Colorado Springs and the Denver area. 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. This effort is an excellent example of what we accomplish through ongoing collaboration in our state.. Undercover agents set up two buys from one of Romos associates, Saul Ramon Rivera Beltran, and purchased heroin, fentanyl and meth, according to the indictment. 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. He confessed to police everything he knew about Nguyen's operation, overturning the largest pot smuggling drug ring in Colorado since legalization. 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. While conducting a series of arrests across Denver and Aurora Feb. 12 . 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. 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.". Tell me a little bit about how you became acquainted with the story that's presented in "The Syndicate." 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. More than $60,000 in cocaine seized from Edwards mobile home, Fentanyl-laced tablets linked to 8 overdoses in Northern Colorado, Activity must be a felony under federal drug laws, Activity must take place as a continuing series of violation, Must undertake the activity with five or more people, Defendant must as a supervisor or organizer or manager of the criminal enterprise, Must obtain substantial income or financial gain. This spring, Le Creuset has introduced an exciting new shade thats already selling fast: shallot, a soft lavender with pink and slight gray undertones. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of overdose deaths in Colorado involving fentanyl more than doubled, from 222 to 540. Was that a fear of yours? Four of those charges related to a drug felony in a public park. They also took out paraphernalia consistent with illegal narcotic sales, a sawed-off shotgun and $9,434 in cash. Dunn also noted that most of the seized fentanyl pills were disguised to look like oxycodone. Walker spoke with Salon about how long he waited to report this story, how the members of "The Syndicate" gamed the medical marijuana system, and what it would take for federal legalization to actually work. Here's an example. In the past 20 years. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Agents identified Beltran as the leader of the group. Arthur Mills, 59, was arrested on Thursday, according to the Denver Police Department. Milinovich said as of July 31, Peel Region has seen 71 overdose-related deaths, 80 per cent of which are suspected to be linked to opioids. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Mills was arrested at the Race Street location. Officers found more than $760,000 worth of drugs. Authorities arrested five people in connection with an alleged . However, the drug ring's alleged leader -- Rivera-Beltran -- is being held in Arapahoe County on a $1M cash-only bond. Could you talk some about that? More Videos 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." 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? So, in Denver, there are over 600 cannabis cultivation facilities. After the indictment announcement, authorities said two others were arrested in connection to the drug trafficking ring. They also found four firearms, two of them stolen. CBS4's Karen Morfitt spoke to Marion Rorke, Substance Use Coordinator for DDPHE, in February about the program that launched in September 2021. 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.. Malik Beasley. Police said Wednesday they had seized nearly $11.6 million in cash, proceeds of crime and assets . 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. RELATED: More than $60,000 in cocaine seized from Edwards mobile home. Most, if not all of the fentanyl pills were disguised to look like prescription oxycodone. Those in custody are being held on a $500,000 bond or greater. Acting DEA Administrator Timothy Shea announced the bust at a press conference Wednesday. 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. 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.". Has Denver seen its last snow of the season? How much of that was present in the initial media coverage surrounding "The Syndicate" drug bust? Under the caregiving program, they could grow up to 500 plants. There's a lot of considerations that need to be carefully weighed to make sure we can slowly chip away at the black market. New episodes of "The Syndicate" debut every Tuesday. Over the course of 8 months, authorities determined a drug trafficking ring led by Saul Ramon Rivera-Beltran, of Thornton, coordinated drug shipments and deals with a cartel in Mexico. 11 people now facing charges after months-long investigation involving police in Winnipeg, B.C. 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 . You can listen to the first three episodes hereor listen in the player below. In a news release, DDPHE said from 2020 to 2021, fentanyl-involved deaths have increased by 41%, from 159 to 222. 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. Officials on Wednesday said they linked the drugs to the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico but didnt offer details on how they made the connection. 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 . 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. ", First published on December 2, 2021 / 10:11 AM. Keeler: Avs fans, could we please skip Valeri Nichushkin, Nazem Kadri revisionist history? The indictment comes as drug overdose death rates in Colorado have risen to a horrific high. 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Because the state of Colorado is just as savvy as anyone else about garnering media attention, they knew that they could probably get more coverage of their investigation if they talked about the fact like "Oh, by the way, they were also shipping up to 900 pounds of per trip on these skydiving planes.". 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. "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. 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. 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. If convicted of being a kingpin, Vallejo-Gallo faces at least 20 years and potentially life in prison. Forty-two percent of illicit fentanyl pills tested by the DEA nationwide contained at least 2 mg of fentanyl, considered a potentially lethal dose. 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. 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. 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. Project Corredor began in Autumn 2019, Belanger said, and culminated when search warrants were carried out beginning in early 2020. Authorities seize drugs, 17 guns and $44,000 cash in Larimer County drug ring bust. Devin Booker sulked. / CBS Colorado. The answer is probably no. This impressive collaboration between law enforcement agencies is a true success story for making our entire community safer.. Eight of the 19 people indicted in the trafficking ring remained at large Wednesday, officials said. "I cannot overstate how dangerous that was to the community," Dunn said. Law enforcement identified the shop as Supreme Auto Body which was not. First published on April 28, 2020 / 11:48 AM.
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