DENVER — Officials with the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force (NCDTF) announced Tuesday that they dismantled a massive drug trafficking operation with ties to an international drug cartel that operated throughout the state.
Thirteen people were arrested and more than 40 pounds of drugs were seized as part of a months-long investigation that began in the summer of 2023, according to a news release from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.
As part of the investigation, dubbed by the NCDTF as Operation Pin Drop, members of the task force executed search warrants at 11 different homes and seized 8.5 pounds of fentanyl, 32 pounds of methamphetamine, 3 pounds of cocaine, more than $42,000 in cash and 28 firearms, the sheriff’s office said.
The following individuals have been arrested and are each facing several felony counts including drug distribution and violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act:
- Carlos Reyes, 44
- Oscar Astorga-Gamez, 32
- Sandra Ramirez, 34
- Juan Sandoval, 31
- Giovanni Castillo-Munoz, 22
- Luis Ramirez-Rangel, 22
- Jose Torrez-Ordaz, 24
- Sarah Mcdougall, 39
- Wendy Denton, 49
- Susan Stevenson, 81
- Carl Bylsma, 39
- Jae Lee, 39
Detectives are looking for two additional suspects who they said are involved with this case. Lissbeth Juarez-Marquez, 25, and Jose Gil-Ochoa, 32, are currently at large.
The sheriff’s office said the alleged drug operation had ties to the Sinaloa Cartel
“While it might feel unnerving to know the Sinaloa Cartel has a presence here, Northern Coloradans can count on our Agents from the Fort Collins Post of Duty to continue working side by side with the Detectives from the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force to stem the cartel’s influence,” said the DEA's Rocky Mountain Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge David Olesky in a press release.
Anyone with information about their current location is asked to contact NCDTF at 970-416-2560 or online. Tips will remain anonymous if requested.
