Fifteen individuals have been indicted by a federal grand jury in what authorities describe as the largest methamphetamine seizure in Colorado’s history. The United States Attorney for the District of Colorado announced that one of the defendants faces a “drug kingpin” charge, accused of leading a drug trafficking organization.
The indictment names Marco Antonio De Silva Lara, Sergio Ivan Arce Lopez, Juan Luis Cabrera Saucedo, Luis Enrique Lopez Lopez, Rigoberto Aranda, Erik Alejandro Benitez Chavez, Robert Shane Gerstner, Joseph Ricardo Menzor, William Joseph Rollins, Brittney Pierce, Francisco Javier Armenta Barraza, Jamie Cash Hoover, Cesar Andres Huizar Guerra, and Trenton Anthony Thompson. Eleven are currently in federal custody; the others are believed to be in Mexico.
According to details from the complaint, law enforcement used wiretaps, surveillance, undercover operations and rapid enforcement actions to seize over 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine tied to this group. Notable seizures included 96 pounds found on a Greyhound bus in Vail in December 2024; 101 pounds and half a kilogram of fentanyl powder on a Colorado highway in February 2025; more than 700 pounds from a Lakewood residence in April 2025—where drugs were hidden among fruit containers—and nearly 50 pounds from an Arvada home in August 2025.
All defendants face drug charges carrying sentences ranging from at least ten years up to life imprisonment. Four also face money laundering charges with potential sentences up to 20 years. Marco Antonio De Silva Lara is charged under the Continuing Criminal Enterprise statute (21 U.S.C. § 848(a)), which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and up to life.
“This successful investigation boasts the largest methamphetamine seizure in Colorado history and intercepted more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine before it could be distributed into our community,” said United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly. “This investigation showcases what we are able to accomplish when we combine the resources, tools, and expertise of federal agencies with the passion, experience, and sweat equity of local law enforcement officers.”
The case involves collaboration between several agencies: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations; as well as local law enforcement including Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Arvada Police Department.
This operation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative created by Executive Order 14159. The HSTF brings together multiple government agencies to target criminal cartels and transnational organizations operating within and outside U.S. borders. The Rocky Mountain HSTF includes agents from various federal agencies with prosecutions led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.
The Transnational Organized Crime and Money Laundering Section is overseeing prosecution efforts.
Authorities emphasized that all charges are accusations at this stage; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
Case Number: 1:25-CR-240-PAB
