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3 arrested in meth smuggling operation
Another reason we need that $%&^%% border wall.By ANSLEE WILLETT THE GAZETTE Two illegal immigrants were busted in Colorado Springs with 20 pounds of methamphetamine stashed inside a Jeep, federal agents said Thursday. The estimated $3.6 million worth of crystal ice a pure, smokable form of methamphetamine was smuggled across the Mexican border, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The drugs were to be sold in Colorado Springs, the DEA said. The quantity involved made it the biggest speed bust in Colorado Springs in recent memory. Its a significant bust, said Gray Hildreth, agent in charge of the DEAs Colorado Springs office. Drugs often pass through the city because Interstate 25 is a major route for Mexican drug traffickers, he said. In Wednesdays bust, Manuel Hernandez-Martinez, 34, and Juan Manuel Quintero-Lopez, 20, were arrested on suspicion of drug possession and conspiracy to distribute drugs. Also arrested was Gonzalo Lemos-Sepulveda, 23, the alleged recipient of the meth. The suspects, all Mexican nationals, were being held Thursday night at the El Paso County jail. The arrests were made by DEAs Colorado Springs task force, which includes city police, the Colorado State Patrol, the 4th Judicial District Attorneys Office and Pueblo police. The task force Wednesday conducted surveillance on the Jeep Cherokee that traveled from Arizona, arriving in Colorado Springs about noon. The two men in the Jeep met with the third suspect, Hildreth said. Agents pulled the Jeep over about 1:30 p.m. on the citys southeast side. The DEA wouldnt say what tipped agents off to the Jeep. Lemos-Sepulveda was arrested later during a traffic stop near Fort Carson. Packages of meth wrapped in duct tape were found hidden throughout the Jeep, Hildreth said. This is another success story in a string of recent investigations targeting Mexican organizations trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine in the Colorado Springs area, Hildreth said. Posted in full. Link isn't good past today. Posted by: Old Patriot 2006-06-23 |
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