U.S. Attorney's Office announces indictment of 24 defendants for alleged drug trafficking conspiracy
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado announces the indictment of 24 defendants in an alleged drug trafficking conspiracy out of Denver.
According to indictment documents, the defendants were allegedly connected to a drug conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, 500 grams of a mixture substance containing methamphetamine, and one kilogram of heroin.
The indictment also alleges, Juan Demetrio Villalpando Jr., AKA, "Junior," engaged in continuing the enterprise as part of the conspiracy and took on positions such as organizer and supervisor, along with other positions of management.
Certain members of the conspiracy also arranged for funds derived from the drug distribution to be moved from Colorado to California, according to indictment documents. The funds were allegedly sent to Juan Demetrio Villalpando Dominguez in California for ultimate delivery to Villalpando Jr., in Mexico.
The FBI, IRS-CI, and ICE-ERO conducted the investigation in this case. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cyrus Chung and Alexander Duncan.
A federal grand jury in Denver returned a superseding indictment by charging the following individuals:
Cesar Octavio Vega Chacon, age 45, of Mexico
Jose Ezequiel Alvarado-Villarreal, age 23, of Mexico
Abymelec Alvarez-Miranda, age 24, of Mexico
Manuel Campos, age 37, of Mexico
Susana Elizabeth Carreno-Hernandez, age 42, of Colorado Springs, Colorado
Alberto Cervantes-Salazar, age 36, of Aurora, Colorado
Luis Daniel Feliciano Dejesus, age 37, of Denver, Colorado
Uriel Flores, age 31, of Denver, Colorado
Jose Antonio Sanchez-Olmedo, age 23, of Las Vegas, Nevada
Victor Edel Sandoval-Portela, age 26, of Mexico
Leonel Villarreal-Olivas, of Mexico
Juan Demetrio Villapando, Jr., age 36, of Mexico
Jose Misael Alcaraz Cortez, age 32, of San Bernardino, California
Xiomara Faith Fabres, age 41, of Colorado Springs, Colorado
Erasmo Franco-Gutierrez, age 27, location unknown
Yulissa Aleli Castaneda Medrano, age 25, of Mexico
Christian Mercado, age 31, location unknown
Jose Abel Otero-Correa, age 23, of Aurora, Colorado
Ian Michael Payne, Jr., age 36, of Colorado Springs, Colorado
Stephanie Saavedra, age 36, of Littleton, Colorado, and
Juan Antonio Serrano-Lopez, age 34, of Denver, Colorado
Juan Demetrio Villalpando Dominguez, age 63, of West Covina, California
Two additional defendants identified by the nicknames "UM-5548" and "Ayon" are also included in the indictment, which was unsealed on May 9