2 men in custody for alleged distribution of fentanyl, according to U.S. Attorney's Office

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado announced the arrest of two men for alleged distribution of fentanyl in a press release Saturday. 

Authorities say an intense investigation of the two men led to the arrest, which occurred on Wednesday in Denver. 

Santos Lopez Avalos, 22, and Jesus Enrique Astorga-Castillo, 41, both from Denver are being charged with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl.

A Denver detective and members of the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Front Range Task Force were conducting surveillance on an apartment at 10700 East Dartmouth Ave. for suspicion of drug activity, according to the affidavit. 

Authorities say Avalos arrived at the apartment complex in a white Ford Ranger pickup truck. Avalos exited the vehicle with an empty folded duffle bag and entered the apartment that was under surveillance.

Avalos then returned to the vehicle 5 to 10 minutes later without the duffle bag and drove off, but returned and approached Castillo, who handed off the same duffle bag but filled, police say.

When Avalos left the apartment complex, a DPD detective followed him and reached out for additional officers to perform a traffic stop for a turn-signal violation, according to the affidavit. 

Officers pulled Avalos over at the 225 north ramp from Parker Road. Authorities say Avalos was driving with no license at the time of the traffic stop while having an invalid temporary tag.

Authorities searched Avalos' pickup trick due to what they called suspicious activity and discovered a large number of pills bearing "M-30" inside a duffle bag. Avalos was taken into custody by Denver police at the scene.

Back at the apartment complex, Castillo left in a Honda and was pulled over by DPD on South Parker Road for "multiple traffic violations," according to the affidavit. 

Castillo's vehicle was searched after consenting as officers found 75 plastic bags of the same blue pills found in Avalos' vehicle.

Officers proceeded to search Castillo's home and found a black duffle bag in a bedroom closet containing 11 plastic bags of the same blue pills. The U.S. Attorney's Office says each bag contained between 500-1,000 pills.

Castillo and Avalos made their initial appearance in court Friday before United States Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews.

The investigation remains ongoing and is being conducted by the Denver Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration Rocky Mountain Division, and the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Front Range Task Force.