With 11 major human trafficking cases, the Eagle County Drug Task Force has had a productive year

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

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

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

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Since then, two more people in GRANITE cases have made it through sentences, while a further 11 people charged with human trafficking crimes are currently behind bars as they work their way through the legal system. The 2024 cumulative totals of the quantities 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.

In the GRANITE mine

Osuna’s case provides some 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 the vehicle was involved in criminal activity:

“Drew straight through the night from Phoenix, Arizona; the driver rolled down the window as he passed my location; driver was locked in driving position 10-2; driver and passenger were extremely nervous and shaking; marijuana odor coming from the vehicle; quick trip to pick someone up in Denver, then return to Phoenix; no rental agreement could be submitted that included rental by third parties; Osuna’s nervousness escalated during interrogations 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 routine traffic stop for swerving and following another vehicle too closely that led to the arrest.

But “the time it took for the vehicle to come to a stop was unusual compared to what I commonly encounter,” Jaramillo noted in his report. “My awareness was increased in this case. My training and experience with similar situations led me to believe something was wrong, as the general motoring public tends to stop faster, usually around 20 seconds.”

Extraordinary day, extraordinary month

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

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

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

“Suspicious activity, including the driver’s attempt to take our deputy’s weapon, prompted the deployment of K-9 Zane,” the news release said.

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 a pressed block of suspected purple fentanyl weighing almost 3 pounds.

Later that day, a Minnesota man was stopped heading east on I-70 in Gypsum.

“Once again, criminal activity was discovered, prompting the deployment of K-9 Zane and positive alerts,” the press release said. “This search uncovered a whopping 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 occurred on the same day, led the Sheriff’s Office to give the task force high praise.

“Last Wednesday, October 16, 2024 was an extraordinary day for our Gore Range Narcotics Interdiction Team,” Wednesday’s press release said. “They conducted two separate traffic stops and seized a total of £145.19 of illegal drugs. It is no surprise that GRANITE recently won an award at the Eagle County Night of Excellence and their vigilance continues.”

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

On September 18, the task force stopped a married New Hampshire couple 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 major triumph in the war on drugs .”

On September 27, a Las Vegas man was stopped on I-70 in Gypsum, where “the vehicle was determined to have fictitious license plates and multiple signs of additional criminal behavior were also observed,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. “The search that followed uncovered ten bundles of blue pills, weighing over 16 pounds. The bundles presumptively tested 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 completed this year was very different.

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

The task force began its investigation after a local parent contacted a school resource officer and said 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 agents found a source who gave an officer access to their Telegram account, which records show was one of 67 subscribers from Saenz-Hernandez. to the affidavit.

“On this date, marijuana and THC products, DMT, acid and purple molly were for sale,” the affidavit said. “The channel appeared to be operational and actively posting about drug sales.”

In August, Hernandez was given a 16-year suspended prison sentence in the case.