31 indicted, 32 pounds of cocaine seized in Adams County drug ring bust
Operation Full Circle, an investigation into a 15-year cocaine trafficking operation in Adams County and Juarez, Mexico, led to 31 indictments.
A large-scale cocaine trafficking investigation in Adams County led to the indictment of 31 people and seizure of 14,600 grams of cocaine, enough for thousands of lethal doses, the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
The ring allegedly had been shipping cocaine from Mexico to Brighton for 15 years.
Operation Full Circle, the trafficking investigation, began in May 2021 when the North Metro Task Force — which investigates illicit drug activity in Adams County — began looking into alleged cocaine trafficking between Juarez, Mexico and Adams County.
The investigation continued into Oct. 2021, when the task force partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration. The two organizations collaborated to connect the drug operation to Gustavo Mena-Flores, in Juarez, and Martin Mena-Flores, in Adams County.
In February, investigators learned that the Mena-Flores enterprise was distributing cocaine in Adams County for about 15 years.
District Attorney Brian Mason announced the results of the drug investigation Monday, which included 31 indictments on charges under the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act and drug-trafficking violations.
Officials seized 32 pounds, or 14,600 grams, of cocaine, four firearms, 15 vehicles, five residences and $283,514 of cash.
According to the American Addiction Centers, the amount of cocaine it takes for a person to overdose varies a lot by person and toxic levels are not completely dictated by dosage, but there have been cases of overdose from a few hundred milligrams to several grams of cocaine.
Officials have arrested 18 of the 31 indicted people and said the others may be in Mexico, according to the release.
The arrested individuals include:
- Julio Alba-Guzman
- Anthony Arroyos
- Juan Gallegos
- Ronnie Garcia
- Nestor Garcia-Chavez
- Efrain Garcia-Loza
- Edgar Guttierez-Alvarez
- Urbano Marquez
- Martin Mena-Flores
- Martin Quezada-Moreno
- Francisco Sanchez
- Michelle Sandoval-Marquez
- Javier Vasquez
- Ismael Villegas-Espinoza
- Guillermo Zavala-Jimenez
- Viviana Renteria Montes
- Jorge Vazquez Cervantes
- Manuel Marquez
“By working in collaboration with one another, we are disrupting drug operators who are dealing significant quantities of illegal narcotics into our community,” DA Brian Mason said in the release. “This partnership and the indictment should send one important signal to all who are dealing this poison in our community: We’re going to take you down.”
