JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Millions of dollars worth of illegal drugs are off the streets after a historic drug bust in Jefferson County.
The investigation launched in August 2022 and eventually led to the seizure of 400 pounds of methamphetamine, 325,000 pills containing fentanyl, 3 kilograms of cocaine, one pound of heroin and 1.5 pounds of fentanyl powder which, according to the West Metro Drug Task Force, could equate to over 350,000 lethal fentanyl doses.
More than a dozen firearms were also seized, many of them were reported as stolen weapons.
"Once we started dealing in the size and quantities that we were picking up, able to purchase, and to take off an arrest, it was a good indicator that this was a major, major case," said division chief of investigations, Marc Snowden, with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
The investigation eventually used a Title III Wiretap and undercover investigators to identify 16 suspects. Ten of the suspects have been arrested after the entire group was indicted on 116 felony charges by a grand jury.
Thiago Escalante-Torres, Angelo Gonzalez-Hernandez, Johnathan Kincaid, Stephanie Larson, Francisco Portella, Jonathan Ortega-Carias, Pablo Ramirez-Martinez, Felicia Redearth, Daniel Emilio Torres- Torres and Kristy Wilson have been arrested. Officials said they are confident they will find the other six suspects, but have not released their names.
According to the indictments, members of the drug trafficking organization would buy the narcotics from a Mexican drug cartel before selling them in Jefferson County.
"Between the methamphetamine, fentanyl and fentanyl powder, potentially millions of individual doses were taken off the street. Those folks aren't getting that that poison into our communities," said Snowden.
Investigators believe the drug bust led to the arrest of high level drug dealers.
Each of the suspects are facing charges of unlawful distribution or sale of a controlled substance, unlawful possession with intent to sell or distribute a controlled substance, possession of a weapon by a previous offender, special offender, criminal attempt second-degree kidnapping, criminal attempt aggravated motor vehicle theft, vehicular eluding, leaving the scene of an accident, first-degree criminal trespass and obstructing a peace officer.
