By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice
Drug dealers in Western Colorado had some serious disruption in their “business model” last week, when Western Slope law enforcement agencies from both Delta and Mesa counties intercepted and seized large amounts of illegal drugs being transported through their counties.
As a result of interaction with police, four suspects were arrested on charges related to possession and distribution of illegal narcotics.
According to Delta County Sheriff Mark Taylor, deputies in his department seized 1,500 fentanyl pills, 12 grams of ecstasy pills, 454 grams of methamphetamine, 50 grams of powdered fentanyl, and 21 grams of carfentanyl (an extremely potent opioid that is more powerful than fentanyl, and used as an elephant sedative.)
Deputy Bradbury conducted a traffic stop at about 9:15 p.m. Monday, March 3, near the intersection of G-50 Road and Hwy. 50 west of Delta. The deputy stopped the car after seeing the vehicle swerving and traveling in and out of traffic lanes.
As is customary, a second deputy responded to assist. Dep. Ruble and his K-9 “Teg” deployed for a free air sniff, while Bradbury continued his conversation and investigation with the occupants and the driver of the vehicle.
Deputies identified the driver as Junior Rosales-Blanco, 23, of Montrose.
Teg alerted to the presence of illegal narcotics inside the car and all three of the people in the car were asked to get out. The passengers were identified as Manuel Sepulveda, 44, of Delta and the rear seat passenger was identified as Nakisha Ramirez, 27, of Montrose.
After establishing probable cause, officers searched the vehicle, located the drugs and arrested the occupants and driver. They were taken to the Delta County jail.
On March 4, all arrestees appeared in front of a judge for their advisement hearings. The judge set the bond for Rosales-Blanco at $60,000 cash bond, Ramirez was held on a $100,000 cash bond, and Sepulveda was held on an $80,000 cash bond.
“Sheriff Taylor and Undersheriff Archibeque would like to thank Dep. Bradbury, Dep. Ruble, K-9 Teg, Dep. Horn and Sgt. Clymer for their efforts in identifying and removing dangerous narcotics from the streets of Delta County. Fentanyl is a highly dangerous narcotic which has killed many citizens across the Western Slope, State of Colorado and United States,” the press release reads.
Sheriff Mark Taylor says his office is dedicated to aggressively investigating and prosecuting illegal drug activity in Delta County.
“The seizure of over 1,500 fentanyl pills, 454 grams of meth as well as powdered forms of fentanyl and carfentanyl is a huge win for the safety of kids and citizens in Delta County. The sheriff’s office is proud to support two K-9 Deputies — Teg and Jocko — who along with their handlers are certified in the detection of illegal narcotics. K-9s are a vital tool in the fight against illegal drug use and distribution in Delta County and are a great asset to our community. Thank you, deputies, on a job well done,” reads the statement.
Over in Mesa County, Deputies are also fighting crime and illegal drugs with equal fervor.
On March 4, a similar scenario was unfolding as a deputy spotted a vehicle driving slow enough on I-70 that it raised suspicion, while observing the drivers’ behavior, a short time later the deputy saw the vehicle changing lanes in an erratic and unusual way, prompting the deputy to stop the vehicle near mile marker 17.
The driver of the car was identified as 35-year-old Enrique Leon Villa, of Mexico, and was later found not to have a driver’s license. He admitted to the deputy that he was in possession of illegal drug paraphernalia and, with that admission, allowed the deputy to establish probable cause to search the vehicle.
While conducting the legal search of the vehicle, officers located four large bricks of what field testing confirmed was 5.1 kilograms of cocaine, with a street value of approximately $152,000.
Villa was arrested and booked into the Mesa County jail on multiple felony charges, including charges of possession with the intent to distribute a schedule II illegal narcotic, a class 1 felony with special circumstances (Importing illegal Drugs) enhancing charges. Colorado State Patrol assisted in this case.