18 Arrested in Greeley Area Cocaine Ring
The Weld County Drug Task Force (WCDTF) has busted 18 people in connection with a local drug trafficking organization, according to a press release from the Greeley Police Department.
The WCDTF first became aware of the criminal activity in October of 2018, when they received information that Alberto "Beto" Loya was heading a cocaine distribution group in the Greeley area.
Further investigation revealed that Loya was dealing "significant quantities" of cocaine. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was brought in, and investigation into Loya's activity continued over the next few months.
New information indicated that Loya was involved in a large organization that was bringing cocaine into Colorado and the Greeley area. He is alleged to have sold large amounts to multiple sources, including undercover WCDTF agents.
During the course of this investigation, the WCDTF and DEA also became aware of another organization, allegedly led by Ernani Lujan and Antonio Torrez, that was illegally growing and exporting marijuana out of state.
Search warrants were obtained on May 15, 2019, for six locations in Greeley, with singular locations in Windsor, Boulder, and Fort Collins.
On July 11, 2019, a Weld County Grand Jury indicted 19 people for a total of sixty-two counts on charges ranging from distribution of controlled substances to money laundering to possession of a weapon by a previous offender.
In the weeks following the trial, 18 people have now been arrested, including Loya, Lujan, and Torrez.
Police allege that Loya was dealing multiple kilos of cocaine throughout the Greeley area. They also seized 823 marijuana plants, around 17 pounds of packaged marijuana, and four pounds of marijuana concentrate.