PUEBLO, Colo. — The FBI on Thursday announced one of the largest drug trafficking takedowns in Colorado history.
The FBI called it a massive and historic seizure of heroin, all from within the city of Pueblo. The investigation started in December with a traffic stop by a Pueblo police officer.
“If you’re here to bring poison and violence into the community, hell is coming to breakfast,” acting U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer said.
Hell did descend on East Fourth Street in Pueblo, an area hit hard by drug abuse and crime.
Roger Bujanda, Jesus Mercado Valdez, Gage Rael, Leonard Aragon and Daniel Vasquez were identified as major sources in the supply of heroin and all five were arrested.
“These were violent felons walking around in our neighborhoods, carrying automatic weapons, selling massive quantities of heroin and other illegal drugs,” said Marc McCulloch with the FBI.
Vasquez was the owner of the raided and now shuttered Get Your Fix Auto Body, where agents said he would fix vehicles and load up customers with baggies of illegal drugs.
“This is poison. The things that you see in these pictures and that poison spawns violent crime,” Pueblo police chief Troy Davenport said.
The task force said it seized more than $500,000 cash; 35 guns, including a machine gun and several others that were stolen; methamphetamine; cocaine; and 60 pounds of heroin.
“This amounts to approximately 40,000 user doses of heroin in the streets of Pueblo,” McCulloch said.
It is one of the largest drug trafficking takedowns in the history of Colorado, and the Pueblo Police Department said it’s one step in making the streets safer.
“The one thing we don’t tolerate in communities like this is the poison of heroin and the violence of illegal gun use and possession,” Troyer said.
The five people named are under federal indictment. If convicted, they face between five years to life in prison.
Law enforcement officers say they aren’t done yet.