With 11 major felony trafficking cases and counting, Eagle County drug task force has had a productive year

On Oct. 16, members of the Gore Range Narcotic Interdiction Team conducted two separate traffic stops in Eagle County that resulted in the seizure of 145.19 pounds of suspected illegal drugs.

The two major seizures come at the tail end of a productive year for the multi-jurisdictional drug task force that is composed of local law enforcement partners and detectives from the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office and the Vail Police Department.

On Jan. 8, 24-year-old Estevan Osuna of Washington was sentenced to eight years in jail for smuggling 128 grams of cocaine and 13 pounds of fentanyl pills through Eagle County.

Since then, two more people in GRANITE cases have moved through sentencing, while another 11 people accused of felony trafficking offenses are currently behind bars while working their way through the court system. Cumulative totals for 2024 on amounts of suspected drugs estimated to have been seized include 24.5 pounds of suspected fentanyl, 73 pounds of suspected cocaine, 30 pounds of suspected mixed fentanyl and cocaine, and 132.78 pounds of suspected methamphetamine.

Into the GRANITE mine

Osuna’s case gives a bit of insight into how GRANITE has been so successful, with detectives knowing what clues to look for in suspected drug smuggling operations.

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Det. Evan Jaramillo, who stopped Osuna on I-70 in Gypsum, said the following reasons led him to believe that the vehicle was involved in criminal activity:

“Drove straight through the night from Phoenix, Arizona; driver rolled down the window as he passed my location; driver was locked at the 10-2 driving position; driver and passenger were extremely nervous and shaking; marijuana odor emanating from the vehicle; short trip to pick someone up in Denver, only to return back to Phoenix; rental agreement could not be provided indicating a third-party rental; Osuna’s nervousness escalated during questioning about narcotics; Osuna only answered (a question about pills) after I gave him an answer (is that a no?).”

In the case of Emely Hernandez, who was sentenced to five years probation in August after pleading guilty to possession with intent to deliver fentanyl, it was a standard traffic stop for swerving and following another vehicle too closely which led to the arrest.

However, “the time the vehicle took to stop was unusual compared to what I often encounter,” Jaramillo noted in his report. “My awareness was heightened in this instance. My training and experience with similar situations led me to believe that something was not right as the general motoring public usually stops in a timelier manner usually around 20 seconds.”

Extraordinary day, extraordinary month

While all of the cases up until the Oct. 16 double arrest involved cocaine and fentanyl, the second arrest of that day included a large amount of methamphetamine. K-9 Zane, a 5-year-old German Shepard who lives and works with Jaramillo, was involved in both busts.

The first incident occurred at mile marker 147 near Eagle at 8:30 a.m. in what the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office, in a press release issued Wednesday, described as “a routine traffic stop around 8:30 a.m.”

The man was from Indiana, traveling eastbound on Interstate 70.

“Suspicious activity, including the driver attempting to grab our deputy’s gun, prompted K-9 Zane being deployed,” according to the release.

Zane found three packages of suspected cocaine weighing just over 7 pounds, one package of suspected M30 fentanyl pills weighing just over 2.5 pounds, and one pressed brick of suspected purple fentanyl weighing almost 3 pounds.

Later that day, a man from Minnesota was stopped headed eastbound on I-70 in Gypsum.

“Once again, criminal activity was detected, prompting K-9 Zane’s deployment and positive alerts,” according to the release. “This search uncovered a staggering 132.78 pounds of suspected methamphetamine, along with other drug paraphernalia.”

The unique combination of circumstances in the cases, and the fact that they both happened in the same day, led the Sheriff’s Office to bestow a high praise on the task force.

“Last Wednesday, October 16, 2024, was an extraordinary day for our Gore Range Narcotics Interdiction Team,” according to Wednesday’s release. “They conducted two separate traffic stops, and seized a total of 145.19 pounds of illegal drugs. It’s no surprise that G.R.A.N.I.T.E recently earned an award at the Eagle County Night of Excellence and their vigilance continues.”

It was the fourth GRANITE arrest to occur on I-70 in one month.

On Sept. 18, the task force pulled over a married couple from New Hampshire on I-70, and the stop resulted in the seizure of 12 pounds of suspected cocaine laced with fentanyl, described by the Sheriff’s Office as “a significant triumph in the fight against drugs.”

On Sept. 27, a Las Vegas man was pulled over on I-70 in Gypsum, where “it was determined that the vehicle had fictitious plates and multiple signs of additional criminal behavior were also observed,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. “The search that followed revealed 10 bundles of blue pills, weighing over 16 pounds. The bundles tested presumptive positive for fentanyl.”

Outlier case

While many of the GRANITE arrests fit the similar pattern of out-of-town suspects being stopped on I-70, one case that wrapped up this year has been much different.

Gypsum resident Kathya Saenz-Hernandez, 22, pled guilty in August in a GRANITE case which involved more than 100 hours of investigation from the task force, dating back to 2022, in which Hernandez was suspected of using the now notorious Telegram app to sell drugs to minors.

The task force began its investigation after a local parent contacted a school resource officer, saying her child “was acting crazy at home and was found to be in possession of mushrooms and LSD,” according to an arrest affidavit.

After more local students “confirmed that they had purchased drugs from this Telegram account holder, identified as Katy or Kathy,” GRANITE officers found a source who allowed an officer to access their Telegram account, which was one of Saenz-Hernandez’s 67 subscribers, according to the affidavit.

“For sale on this date were marijuana and THC products, DMT, acid, and purple molly,” according to the affidavit. “The channel appeared operational and was actively posting for the sale of drugs.”

In August, Hernandez received a 16-year suspended imposition sentence in the case.