Meth Tacos: 17 people indicated in drug bust
Walk along the busy streets of Colorado and you will see the booming business of the food truck industry. Walk right up to the truck, order a taco and a side of meth. Yes, that is right meth tacos. Customers were literally walking right up to the truck and ordering a side of meth with their tacos. They would also use code words to order the drugs. Ordering a six pack or yellow cups would get you quiet a different item. Apparently, Juan Carlos Gonzalez, 37, the leader of this drug ring, was just that bold.
Juan Carlos was able to build up his bold attitude, by the way he ran his business. As the kingpin of this operation Juan Carlos kept the business in the family. He used his one of his aunt’s house, along with many other houses to stash the drugs. Juan Carlos also rented a storage unit to stash more drugs, another bold move.
Oscar Ruvalcaba was one of the transporters for this drug ring. He had 40 pounds of meth stashed under the floor in his Mini Cooper. He transported the drugs from Mexico to California, as well as Colorado. Maria Arellano is accused of selling the meth tacos out of the food truck. It is important to note that she was not the owner of this truck, just a worker. The owner had no knowledge of this operation going on in his truck. The food truck has been granted access to continue their operation of selling tacos.
Federal and local authorities combined efforts in seizing over 55 pounds of meth. To put this into perspective, 55 pounds of meth equates a street value of around $740,000 to $990,000 in Colorado, states the attorney general’s office. “This is nasty stuff, this is 99 percent pure methamphetamine, very addictive,” stated Suthers, attorney general. Distribution of a drug this pure is very dangerous. Not only is it very addictive, but also can lead to many addicts relapsing or new customers trying it, merely for the fact that is 99 percent pure.
Along with the meth tacos, they found an operation importing cocaine from Mexico to California. Weapons were also discovered during this bust. This was one of Colorado’s largest drug busts in history. The officers named this sting Operation Cargo. This name was fairly accurate, considering how many people were caught, along with the drugs and weapons. Officers set up 5 wiretaps, for 5 weeks, to pinpoint the operation and all those involved. 17 people were indicted on various charges from drug trafficking to possession of drugs and weapons. Juan Carlos ran his twisted, family oriented business straight into the ground and into prison; thus ending the case of the meth tacos.
http://www.denverpost.com/crime/ci_26583713/meth-tacos-17-indicted-colorado-bust-alleged-drug