None of the 49 people detained during a Drug Enforcement Administration raid of an Adams County warehouse last month are facing criminal charges, Denver7 has learned.
The 49 people were detained as DEA officials descended on what was billed as an “invite-only party” for members and associates of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua on Jan. 26. Forty-one of those detained were in the U.S. illegally, officials said.
The Adams County District Attorney’s Office, though, told Denver7 that no agency – local or federal – has brought forth a report from that operation to consider filing charges. Chris Hopper, a public information officer for the DA’s office, said his office was not contacted about the raid before, during or after it.
In a sitdown interview with Denver7 Investigates last week, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen explained why the drugs and weapons found in the operation hadn’t led to charges – but suggested charges could still be filed.
“The truth is that there were drugs present and there were guns present, but that operation unfolded so quickly that when the lights came on in the club, all the drugs fell on the floor,” Pullen told Denver7 Chief Investigator Tony Kovaleski. “I can't charge a person with drug trafficking unless I can prove it was in their hands or in their pocket. And in this case, the weapons hit the floor, the drugs hit the floor. So no one was charged with drug trafficking from that incident, but there may still be other charges coming.”
- Special Agent Pullen told Denver7 Investigates the DEA's "foot is firmly on the gas" when it comes to drug enforcement in the Denver metro. Watch the full interview in the video player below:
Denver7 on Thursday asked the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Colorado about any possible charges stemming from the Jan. 26 raid, an operation the following day or the series of federal operations on Wednesday. A spokesperson said the office has “no comment” on recent federal activity.
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