The largest seizure of methamphetamine in Colorado history — 733 pounds — was discovered concealed in boxes of the produce chayote.
During a Wednesday morning news conference, officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service announced the largest meth bust in state history and described the work that went into the seizure.
Fifteen people were indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the case, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. One of the defendants, Marco Antonio De Silva Lara, is facing “the so-called drug kingpin charge as an alleged leader of a drug trafficking organization,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Despite calling a news conference and convening a gaggle of reporters, none of the agencies took questions from the media.
“This investigation had it all,” DEA Special Agent In Charge Dave Olesky said during the news conference. “From undercover activity to a series of complex wiretaps on targets of the investigation.”
Olesky described the operation as a “massive undertaking” spanning two years and multiple agencies. The bust was the result of wire tapping, undercover operations and “extensive” surveillance,” he said.
Defendants named in the indictment include: De Silva Lara, Sergio Ivan Arce Lopez, Juan Luis Cabrera Saucedo, Luis Enrique Lopez Lopez, Rigoberto Aranda, Erik Alejandro Benitez Chavez, Robert Shane Gerstner, Joseph Ricardo Menzor, William Joseph Rollins, Brittney Pierce, Francisco Javier Armenta Barraza, Jamie Cash Hoover, Cesar Andres Huizar Guerra and Trenton Anthony Thompson. Eleven of those defendants are in federal custody. The remaining defendants are believed to be in Mexico, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The operation consisted of multiple drug busts beginning in December 2024 when agents seized 96 pounds of meth from a member of the alleged organization on a Greyhound Bus in Vail. In February, officials seized 101 pounds of meth and a half kilogram of fentanyl powder from another alleged organization member on “a highway in Colorado.” In April, more than 700 pounds of meth was taken from a Lakewood residence along with freezers, propane tanks and other equipment used to make meth.
Investigators said they found thousands of packages of meth hidden among containers of the fruit chayote.
In August, officials took nearly 50 pounds of meth from an Arvada residence.
All 15 defendants face drug charges carrying the potential sentence of no less than 10 years and up to life in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Four of the defendants are charged with money laundering.
In addition to the DEA, FBI and IRS, the Homeland Security Investigations and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations are also involved in the investigation along with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Arvada Police Department.
The Transnational Organized Crime and Money Laundering Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado is handling the prosecutions, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“This successful investigation boasts the largest methamphetamine seizure in Colorado history and intercepted more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine before it could be distributed into our community,” said United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly. “This investigation showcases what we are able to accomplish when we combine the resources, tools, and expertise of federal agencies with the passion, experience, and sweat equity of local law enforcement officers.”
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