Colorado Attorney General John Suthers has announced the indictment of nine alleged members of a cocaine smuggling ring on 15 counts, including racketeering and drug smuggling. The drug ring imported about 53 pounds of the drug into the Denver area between June and September 2010, according to Mike Saccone, Suthers’ spokesman.
The state grand jury indicted Noel “Chihuas” Loya Loya, 24, Abel Loya, 30, and Manuel “Martin” Loya Loya, 29, authorities said. The investigation was conducted by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and will be prosecuted jointly by the state attorney general’s office and the Adams County district attorney’s office.
“This drug sting represents a major victory in interrupting the supply of highly addictive, dangerous drugs to Colorado,” Suthers said.
The seized cocaine had a wholesale value of $600,000.
The indictment also names Javier Torres, 27, Joel Octavio Rivas-Loya, 27, Angela Hernandez, 40, Gerardo Perez-Salazar, 22, Daniel Garcia, 23, and Larry Perez-Salazar, 30.
The only member of the gang who has not been arrested is the leader of the ring, Manuel Loya Loya, who remains in Mexico, Saccone said.
The group communicated through coded messages by cellphone, according to a copy of the indictment.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
