I had to make a lot of decisions about what was a fair way to portray certain situations. 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. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Police said Wednesday they had seized nearly $11.6 million in cash, proceeds of crime and assets . . Woman charged as federal 'kingpin' in major metro Denver-wide drug bust by: . 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. Elise Schmelzer is the public safety reporter at The Denver Post and covers policing, crime and criminal justice. Please enter valid email address to continue. Please enter valid email address to continue. Using that statistic, Colorado law enforcement estimated the 110,000 pills they seized couldve contained more than 46,000 lethal pills. However, the drug ring's alleged leader -- Rivera-Beltran -- is being held in Arapahoe County on a $1M cash-only bond. They then used a confidential source to place recorded calls with Romo and set up a controlled purchase of $1,600 of methamphetamine. Authorities say there is no immediate threat to their safety. 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. 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. Oct. Associated Press articles: Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. Malik Beasley. 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. 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. I approached the Colorado Department of Law. The truth is probably somewhere in between in that it was probably overzealous on the side of the SWAT team, but there was probably some justification in that these guys were involved in a pretty shady underworld. 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. Greed is a traffickers main motivation. 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. A Boogie wit da Hoodie's mug shot. 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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. "With 28 firearms seized, multiple hand grenades, high-capacity magazines and several sets of body armor, this organization was preparing for battle," Olesky said during Wednesday's news conference. Of the 30 indicted,24 were arrested and one is in state custody on a separate charge. (CBC) In a news release, Toronto police describe a. Project Corredor began in Autumn 2019, Belanger said, and culminated when search warrants were carried out beginning in early 2020. The Avalanche championship dynasty crumbles less than a year after hoisting the Stanley Cup. 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. DEA Denver Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge David Olesky said a year ago, a large seizure would have been anywhere from 5,000-10,000 . Updated: Oct 8, 2020 / 07:49 PM MDT . 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. 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. Ashlie D. Stevens is Salon's deputy food editor. 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.". 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. Yeah, it's tough because I feel like in these situations, the truth always lies somewhere in between, right? Thats why addressing this crisis is a top priority for our office, Weiser said in a statement. / CBS Colorado, UPDATE: Aurora Woman Who Was 'Kingpin' Of Drug Running Operation Sentenced To Prison. 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 and $450,000 in cash hidden in houses, apartments and secret compartments in cars. 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. 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. He confessed to police everything he knew about Nguyen's operation, overturning the largest pot smuggling drug ring in Colorado since legalization. 35 arrested after multiple drug busts across Maine, New Hampshire border. 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EAGLE, Colo. (CBS4) - Detectives pulled off a major drug bust in the Eagle Vail area, arresting Matthew DeAngelo at a home. 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. First published on September 3, 2021 / 3:46 PM. 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. Investigators said they used confidential informants, undercover agents, surveillance and phone taps to trace the movements of those involved and the drugs they were moving across state lines and around the Denver metro. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Mills has gone before a judge and bond was set. Police say on December 9, 2020, the Nova Scotia RCMP Federal Serious and . It was a fairly impressive investigation. . 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. This is a part of the story that is told very differently depending on who you talk to. While conducting a series of arrests across Denver and Aurora Feb. 12 . So there are well-established markets in both states that have legal cannabis and in states that don't. Published August 18, 2020 6:00PM (EDT) The Syndicate (Photos provided by publicist/Salon) Facebook Twitter Email save In October 2014, SWAT team officers and DEA agents kicked down the doors of. "Without a doubt, our law enforcement here today have saved the lives of Coloradans," Weis said. Posted: Feb 19, 2020 / 06:11 PM . If convicted as a drug kingpin, she faces 20 years to life in federal prison. 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. Fentanyl is an opioid known for its potency. "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. 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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. 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. It can be up to 50 times more potent than heroin and up to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to DDPHE. Detectives with the Gore Range Narcotics Interdiction Team made the bust Tuesday. 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. Legalizing weed nationally is just not going to solve the problem overnight. 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. Denver residents can also get that medicine, along with fentanyl test strips, sent to them for free from the city. of heroin and 15,000 fentanyl pills. In October 2014, SWAT team officers and DEA agents kicked down the doors of 32 people around Denver, all members of a massive marijuana-smuggling ring. Are other banks to follow? The following criteria must be met to charge someone as a kingpin, according to Dunn: "It's a very rare occurrence, a very serious occurrence and not a charge we take lightly," said Dunn. So, all of which to say, federal legalization is a step towards combating some of these problems, but it's a long road ahead. They were using skydiving planes to ship pot out of state. The investigation first started in March 2019 after a tip from law enforcement in Las Vegas, Reuter said. 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The DEA says this fentanyl bust is part of a national crisis. Eagle County Detectives Make Major Drug Bust Involving Coke, Meth And Magic Mushrooms September 3, 2021 / 3:46 PM / CBS Colorado EAGLE, Colo. (CBS4) - Detectives pulled off a major drug. 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. You can find more resources about fentanyl at www.denvergov.org. Fentanyl alone drove the increase in opioid deaths in 2020, according to the Colorado Health Institute. 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. Had these pills reached the streets, thousands of unwitting end users would have been at significant risk of overdose and death. North Bay -. So, let's start from the standpoint of someone trying to start a large, illegal marijuana grow. But that's not to say that there isn't also a thriving black market in states that have legalized weed. April 28, 2020 / 11:48 AM First published on March 11, 2022 / 2:51 PM. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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.. Four of the remaining suspects are in Mexico, and the fifth is on the run in the United States. You were living in Colorado when the major drug bust happened, right? Updated: Feb 19, 2020 / 06:11 PM MST. They also found four firearms, two of them stolen. And they [the members of "The Syndicate"] were also taking advantage of an antiquated law in Colorado called the caregiving program. 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. So, the law enforcement side, that's easier to answer. You can listen to the first three episodes hereor listen in the player below. 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. 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. Provisional data from 2021 indicates that fentanyl is present in nearly 50% of all accidental drug-related deaths in Denver, according to the Denver Department of Public Health and. 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. Moreover, it would answer this main question in my mind, "If Colorado had a seemingly thriving legal market, why would you take risks to set up this massive black market operation?". 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. Most of the drugs came from Mexico and have a street value in the "millions of dollars," according to Dunn. You some, some people didn't want to talk about this, some people believe they were subjected to overzealous law enforcement and some people, you know, wanted to just sort of address the errors of their pasts and express remorse for what they had done. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. 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. ", RELATED: Fentanyl-laced tablets linked to 8 overdoses in Northern Colorado. Agents said Colorado communities are safer now with the seized drugs and weapons off the streets, but the work is far from over. / CBS Colorado. 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. 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. Acting DEA Administrator Timothy Shea announced the bust at a press conference Wednesday. Could you talk some about that? ------------------------------------------. 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. Authorities say they seized about 400 lbs. ", First published on December 2, 2021 / 10:11 AM. Colorado communities and families have suffered greatly from the opioid epidemicand that impact is getting worse during this pandemic. 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. On May 9, several law enforcement agencies collaborated to arrest 25 individuals for drug trafficking and to issue charges to 12 others in a huge methamphetamine drug bust. two thirds of Americans favor recreational pot and around 80% favor medical marijuana. It's official: Jamal Murray, Nuggets are in Phoenix's heads now. The investigation began in late 2018. Peel saw 191 fatal drug overdoses in 2021 -- up from. On the drug smuggler side, it was a horrific experience, having a SWAT team bust through your windows and explode flash bangs in your home and terrorize your family. It's an FDA-approved medicine to rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. 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? I mean, it was the largest pot bust in Colorado since the state had legalized recreational weed in 2012. 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 . This effort is an excellent example of what we accomplish through ongoing collaboration in our state.. Some of the people discussed working with people in Mexico to source the purchases, according to the indictment. N.S. Public health officials advise anyone who uses substances or knows someone who uses substances to not only share this warning but to also take tangible steps to help prevent deaths. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4)- Police in Colorado Springs made a big drug bust in Fountain thanks to the help of K9 officer Sugar. Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized more than 2,200 pounds of methamphetamine earlier this month . Photo by Tony Caldwell / Postmedia . of cocaine, 5 lbs. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Four others are in Mexico and one is at large in the U.S. The DEA began its investigation in April 2021. You'd have to be continually hiding that from, you know, even like your local garbage collector. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Please enter valid email address to continue. Fentanyl has been found mixed with or in place of oxycodone tablets, cocaine, and heroin in the Denver area, according to DDPHE. 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. 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? This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. The show covers some pretty dramatic SWAT raids that happened when the group was busted. This organization was preparing for a battle, Olesky said. Of the 30 defendants indicted, 24 have been arrested and one is in state custody on a separate charge. Why First Republic failed. Drug overdoses whether it's opioids or other types are preventable," she said. March 11, 2022 / 2:51 PM CBS4's Karen Morfitt spoke to Marion Rorke, Substance Use Coordinator for DDPHE, in February about the program that launched in September 2021. of methamphetamine, 4 lbs. Authorities arrested five people in connection with an alleged . The officials said most of the drugs were transported through ports of entry at the U.S.-Mexico border and made their way to Colorado in vehicles with concealed compartments. There's a lot of considerations that need to be carefully weighed to make sure we can slowly chip away at the black market. Those in custody are being held on a $500,000 bond or greater. You need some of those more cinematic elements to just kind of coax your audience into some of the more intellectual questions that arise from these types of stories. That's just like a massive wave of support for federal legalization, which could immediately tackle part of this problem. Keeler: Avs fans, could we please skip Valeri Nichushkin, Nazem Kadri revisionist history? Ontario Provincial Police unveiled details of the investigation and a display of the evidence seized during operation DAYTONA in Ottawa Thursday Jan 30, 2020. 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. At that time, there were 32 court cases that came out of this, and the state of Colorado wanted to make sure that it could successfully prosecute each of those cases without additional media coverage marring their legal cases. 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. "I cannot overstate how dangerous that was to the community," Dunn said. The charges were announced Friday by Colorado Attorney General Phil . This impressive collaboration between law enforcement agencies is a true success story for making our entire community safer.. How much of that was present in the initial media coverage surrounding "The Syndicate" drug bust? "The operation resulted in the seizure of over 400 pounds of methamphetamine, more than 15,000 fentanyl pills, five pounds of heroin and over four pounds of cocaine," said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn. COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (CBS4) - The North Metro Task Force made a large drug bust at an auto body shop in Commerce City. You still need to make sure that consumers can find weed in conveniently available locations. And it was just shocking the size and scale of this black market operation. This spring, Le Creuset has introduced an exciting new shade thats already selling fast: shallot, a soft lavender with pink and slight gray undertones. I think the first and most immediate one, or the most obvious one, is just this question of federal legalization. 11 people now facing charges after months-long investigation involving police in Winnipeg, B.C. / CBS Colorado.
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