A two-year investigation into a drug and gang problem in Greeley and northern Colorado led to four federal indictments of 46 people on drug trafficking and gun charges, local and federal authorities said Tuesday.
Seven pounds of methamphetamine — 98 percent pure — 21 firearms, a half-pound of cocaine, a quarter-pound of crack cocaine, 9 pounds of marijuana and 3.6 grams of mushrooms were seized by agents of the Regional Anti-Gang Enforcement Task Force during the investigation.
Of the 46 people indicted, eight remain at large, said U.S. Attorney David Gaouette of Colorado.
On Tuesday, eight locations were raided and 16 of the indicted suspects were arrested. Others already were in custody.
“There were a lot of drugs and a lot of guns taken off the street here,” Gaouette said.
Investigators believe the suspected traffickers are members of the 18th Street, Sureño and South Side Hood gangs. They say the purity of the methamphetamine suggests the drugs were shipped into the country from Mexico.
Greeley Police Chief Jerry Garner reached out for assistance from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI when the Weld County Drug Task Force realized they had a crime ring that extended beyond the boundaries of Colorado.
Agents declined to say specifically where the drugs were coming from or whether northern Colorado was the final destination.
“Some of the tails of this monster we are still trying to get at,” Garner said.
Some of the drug dealing occurred in homes where children lived and within 1,000 feet of a high school and an elementary school, according to the indictments.
The charges carry penalties of 10 years to life in federal prison if the suspects are convicted.
Marvin Richardson, the ATF’s special agent in charge of the Denver region, said Tuesday’s takedown is not the end of his agents’ commitment to Greeley and the Weld County area, and he is devoting personnel and resources to the area to fight violent crime.
Some of the suspects already have appeared in court, and more are scheduled for first appearances in U.S. District Court in Denver today.
Felisa Cardona: 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com
46 suspects named in U.S. indictments
The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday announced the indictment of 46 “gang members and associates.”
The first of the indictments on drug and/or weapons charges, handed down April 21, targeted Miguel Angel Velasquez, Raul Escamilla-Arreguin, Francisco Eugenio Chavez, Alfredo Escamilla-Arreguin, Francisco Valencia-Arias, Tomi Joel Velasquez, Jessica Rehling, Gregory Trammell, Flavio Villalva, Veronica Granados, Travis Bob, Jana Stribling and Sofia Martinez.
On April 22, Veniento J. Montelongo was indicted on cocaine, methamphetamine and weapons charges.
On May 4, 2010, Michael Wayne Morgan and Angie Nicholson-Hernandez were indicted on methamphetamine and weapons charges.
Indicted Thursday on a variety of drug and weapons violations were Jeramy Antuna, Anna Askvig, Serena Benavidez, Luis Dominguez, Jose Luis Dominguez, Rodolfo Dominguez, Normal Enriquez, Randy Frias, Domingo Garcia, Chauvanna Gesick, Roseann Gonzales, Michael Gurule, Desiree Marie Hernandez, Freddie Kinzie-Garcia, Elisia Llamas, Aurelio Madrid, Terry Margheim, Jose Martinez, Javier Medina, Amanda Montez, Carlos Morales-Gonzales, Elizabeth Navarro, Anthony Rivera, Todd Anthony Shelton, Brian Thompson, Onna Marie Trevino, Anthony Trujillo, Skyler Valencia, Michelle Versemann and Ernest Russell Williams.
The Denver Post
