Mountain police officers arrested 30 people Wednesday, who regional and federal authorities say are members of “one of the largest drug organizations in the history of Colorado’s Western Slope.”
A task force of law enforcement agencies in Garfield and Eagle counties worked with federal agents to crack what they’re calling “The Boys.”
Eight suspected members are still at large. The investigation netted more than 65 pounds of marijuana, nine pounds of cocaine, more than a pound of methamphetamine, several ounces of hallucinogenic mushrooms and doses of ecstasy and LSD, as well as prescription drugs investigators say were to be sold illegally.
Detectives said the group imported volumes of cocaine and methamphetamine into the Glenwood Springs and Carbondale areas, then distributed it to mid-level and street drug dealers.
The Boys also used teen-agers to make deliveries between drug dealers, investigators said. Undercover detectives found runners as young as 14 delivering cocaine, ecstasy, hallucinogenic mushrooms and other drugs.
Most of the people arrested Wednesday had extensive criminal histories, including attempted murder, assault and menacing, according to investigators.
Twenty police officers from the Vail, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, Rifle and Silt, along with deputies from the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, assisted with the roundup. The Two Rivers Drug Enforcement Team and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration began the undercover operation last fall.
