Authorities: Denver-area pot ring busted

[chickenman]

Jul 11, 6:19 PM EDT


Oh man all that good brick weed gone

GOLDEN (AP) -- A grand jury has indicted 23 people suspected of bringing in more than 45,000 pounds of marijuana over about a year into the Denver area by hiding the drugs in tour buses from Mexico.

Authorities said Monday that a Jefferson County grand jury returned a 96-count indictment June 3 and that 18 of the suspects have been arrested.

Jefferson County District Attorney Scott Storey says the Mexican drug cartel Los Zetas is believed to be involved in the operation.

Colorado and federal authorities say the investigation that began last year found buses traveling twice a week from Mexico to a suburban warehouse were carrying about 400 pounds of marijuana each time. The drug was compressed into bricks.

Authorities estimate the street value of the drugs smuggled at $36 million

 

[joeca1i]

tour bus from mexico?How do they keep them from ditching the bus..

 

[MileHighChic]

A large-scale marijuana ring that smuggled an estimated $36 million of pot into Colorado from Mexico has been busted, according to authorities.

The smugglers used tour buses to ferry more than 45,000 pounds of pot into the metro area over an 11-month period, according to a media release from the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office.

The West Metro Drug Task Force and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration(DEA) agents began an investigation into the ring in May 2010.

On June 3, a Jefferson County grand jury returned a 96-count indictment with 23 suspects, the district attorney's office said.

The pot was compressed into bricks and hidden in specialized compartments installed underneath the buses.

The marijuana - typically 400 pounds per bus — was unloaded twice a week at a warehouse in Commerce City.

Investigators believe the pot originated in Durango, Mexico, and entered the country through El Paso, Texas.

The buses did not carry passengers. Only the driver and another person were on the buses, said Pam Russell, a district attorney's office spokeswoman.

The Mexican drug cartel Los Zetas is suspected of being the marijuana source.

As part of the investigation authorities seized more than 1,700 pounds of marijuana with an estimated street value of $937,600.

Police also seized $134,000 in cash, 14 vehicles, seven firearms, two kilograms of cocaine worth $64,000, and 53 grams of methamphetamine worth $3,200.

Locally, Conrado Arellano-Casas, 32, is the alleged ring leader. A search warrant served at his Arvada home netted an AK47 and $30,000 in cash.

An El Paso man, Jose Jimenez-Chacon, 30, is suspected of being the ring leader in the United States. He's been arrested by DEA agents on a Jefferson County warrant.

An estimated 75 percent of the marijuana brought into Colorado was sold and distributed in the Denver-metro area, investigators said.

Eighteen of the twenty-three people named as suspects in the indictment have been arrested, prosecutors said, and the five at large are believed to be in Mexico.

Ten of the people arrested are suspected of being in the United States illegally and are on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holds.

Six of the suspects have been charged with racketeering in addition to other charges, which include distribution of more than 100 pounds of marijuana.

Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or [email protected].






Wow! Operating right here in Commerce City and Arvada...the Mexican Cartel, Los Zetas. I'm sure they've got hundreds of these operations in the U.S.

 

[joeca1i]

oh,so they payed off the border agents,could've brought in anything then,maybe even a nuke if they wanted too.Did'nt obama say the borders were secure.[YOUTUBE]VAOEInEzpec[/YOUTUBE]

 

[GhostFace]

i find it hard to believe that all this schwag was being sold in and around denver..who the hell smokes schwag when there is indoor grown dank all over the state. i think once here in CO it was then packaged and sent threwout the US and not bought/sold/used here in CO..but i could be wrong :rasta2: job well done by the DEA lol

 

[motherlode]

i find it hard to believe that all this schwag was being sold in and around denver..who the hell smokes schwag when there is indoor grown dank all over the state. i think once here in CO it was then packaged and sent threwout the US and not bought/sold/used here in CO..but i could be wrong :rasta2: job well done by the DEA lol

lots of people would rather pay 50 bux for an OZ the 50 bux for an 1/8th

thats like saying who the hell is gonna drink popov vodka when there is grey goose or kettle one

Im drinking the kettle one and smoking the ganja myself - i thank you

 

[ROIDRAGER]

lots of people would rather pay 50 bux for an OZ the 50 bux for an 1/8th

yep! Thats denver for ya..."what did you call it...Tahoe og??? umm, whatever bro. Its still only worth $2800 a lb." Wait but everyone online thinks this stuff is super cool and should go for $3500lb..."yeah well have your internet dorks buy it then..$2800 bro, thats it"

:mad0233::mad0233::mad0233::mad0233::mad0233::mad0233::mad0233:

 

[herb]

In Cali there is tons of brickweed that gets thru that supplies the masses for $40 -50 an oz and then theres tons of top shelf super weed that also gets thru that hits the dispensaries and those buyers are paying $50-60 an 1/8th, and the dispensaries are paying $1200 a lb for it. Hell of a mark up but only because of the exceptional quality.

 

[fishwhistle]

brown frown for the high school kiddies no doubt.

 

[iscrog4food]

Lol I love how the authorities are so horrible at math! 45,000 lbs at $500 a pop is like just north of 200k. 36 million pfft!

 

[Jarofunk]

goes to show that July 1st memo was nothing more than scare tactics. They threaten to fuck with CO MMJ. Then, just miles outside the epicenter of CO MMJ, they take down a cartel ring. They could have, with very little investigation, taken out a bunch of dispensaries/caregivers. Cool with me. Keep that shitty herb outta here

 

[Mr Dank]

yep! Thats denver for ya..."what did you call it...Tahoe og??? umm, whatever bro. Its still only worth $2800 a lb." Wait but everyone online thinks this stuff is super cool and should go for $3500lb..."yeah well have your internet dorks buy it then..$2800 bro, thats it"

:mad0233::mad0233::mad0233::mad0233::mad0233::mad0233::mad0233:

still2big - you get what you pay for

 

[Texas Kid]

See, now thats not a Denver area pot ring to me, that is Zeta trafficing brick through the Denver area, they make it sound like it was local residence or something.

Even though brick is easier to move than the dank in alot of circles these days I still find it super hard to believe that 800lbs a week stay here in a Med state like Colorado

Tex

 

[spinkus]

Lol I love how the authorities are so horrible at math! 45,000 lbs at $500 a pop is like just north of 200k. 36 million pfft!

lol more like a little over 22 million bro :) They were still about 14 million off though. Dont worry l suck at math too

$200,000 is about what they were getting per 400lb trip, at $500 per/lb, twice a week

And as was stated before, im sure the high school kiddies are gonna be dry for a few weeks lol

 

[GhostFace]

Lol I love how the authorities are so horrible at math! 45,000 lbs at $500 a pop is like just north of 200k. 36 million pfft!

lol your even worse at math :hi
500 x 45000 = 22,500,000

+ they said 800 per lb which would bring it to 36mill.! this is only what they think came into the state..NOT what they got caught with bringing in..it was a small bust at best being they only caught 1,700lbs of dirt weed

 

[GhostFace]

i find it hard to believe that all this schwag was being sold in and around denver..who the hell smokes schwag when there is indoor grown dank all over the state. i think once here in CO it was then packaged and sent threwout the US and not bought/sold/used here in CO..but i could be wrong :rasta2: job well done by the DEA lol

See, now thats not a Denver area pot ring to me, that is Zeta trafficing brick through the Denver area, they make it sound like it was local residence or something.

Even though brick is easier to move than the dank in alot of circles these days I still find it super hard to believe that 800lbs a week stay here in a Med state like Colorado

Tex

sum1 is on the same page as me :rasta2: must be the danks

 

[maestro]

Funny thing is, I bet D-town smokes a lot more than 800 pounds of stress (bricks) a week three four times that easy. My town is tiny compared to Denver but there is a ton of hispanics n we all know they burn a lot of bud be it brick nug whatever.... Even with the nug everywhere, the average middle class smoker strugglin to survive out there can't afford to pay more for smoke than food. A lot of hard working people wouldn't pay more than 60 a zip even if they could afford it. I know if I didn't grow my own meds, even the bricks would be a luxury on my budget. I know its sad but true. With the market ruined anyhow I'm for total decrim/legalization. Lets see the price go to like 99cents a lb like corn or wheat then see how interested big brother is in policing it. I'll still be stoned as a rock on the couch watchin some cartoons. Its so much easier to grow herbs than tobacco n peeps aren't physically hooked. A few year after legalization evryone who wants some will have it growing in thier backyard.

peace

 

[Tobor the 8th Man]

I was late with the math so I edited. LOL! I only read page one.

 

[pimpin]

i cant say what this was good or straight brick but people are dumb if you think only brick comes thru .in Mexico you can buy pounds of seedless bomb for about 600 last i was there so if they have it there believe some is shipped here imagine the profit even selling them at 2000 here

 

[GhostFace]

Mexico you can buy pounds of seedless bomb for about 600 last i was there so if they have it there believe some is shipped here imagine the profit even selling them at 2000 here

seedless bomb.? schwag is schwag..seedless or not..some more greener then some other stuff being age and what not & some a bit better then others_but most of this brick is shipped poorly dried and still wet and that leads to mold/mildew being why brick smells of ammonia and green weed alot of the time. who the hell buys brick for 2k an LB.? ive seen it at 300-500-800lb but rarley over 1k
. 2k for regs is straight up ass raped
:icon_animal26: