Eight people have been indicted in the Denver metropolitan area on charges involving drug trafficking, weapons possession, and money laundering. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced that Dario Perez Quintero, Guadalupe Mendoza Martinez, Pedro Mendoza Martinez, Abimael Felix Luque, David Uvaldo Mora Sanchez, Hector Joel Quijada Portillo, Oscar Noel Ruelas Molina, and Jose Alexis Guzman Felix were charged following an eighteen-count indictment.
All eight defendants face one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. Additional charges vary by individual. Perez Quintero faces six counts related to fentanyl distribution and one for methamphetamine. Guadalupe Mendoza Martinez is charged with four counts each for distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine, one count for cocaine distribution, possessing a firearm as an alien unlawfully present in the United States, and promoting unlawful activity using proceeds from illegal drug sales.
Pedro Mendoza Martinez has an additional charge for fentanyl distribution. Luque and Mora Sanchez each face an extra charge related to methamphetamine. Quijada Portillo is charged with distributing cocaine and methamphetamine as well as promoting unlawful activity with funds from illegal drugs. Guzman Felix faces an additional charge for possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
If convicted of the conspiracy charge alone, each defendant could face up to life in prison. The indictment consists of allegations only; all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The investigation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established under Executive Order 14159. The HSTF is a multi-agency effort aimed at dismantling criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling operations within the United States and abroad. The task force prioritizes cases involving child trafficking or crimes against children and uses various legal tools to prosecute violent offenders and remove them from the country.
The Rocky Mountain HSTF includes agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), FBI, DEA, ATF, IRS-CI, USPIS, USMS, DSS, USCIS, ICE/ERO, Customs and Border Patrol along with prosecution led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado.
The case is being prosecuted by the Transnational Organized Crime and Money Laundering Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado.
“This investigation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States,” according to information provided by authorities.
The case number is 26-CR-27-DDD.
