Mexican cartel customer sentenced for trafficking drugs into Adams County

DENVER (KDVR) — A man included in a 2023 federal indictment relating to the distribution of drugs from Mexico into the greater Adams County area was convicted and sentenced on Monday, according to the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

Diago Salazar, 29, pleaded guilty on March 27 to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, a class 1 drug felony; and eluding, a class 5 felony. He was sentenced to 16 years in the Department of Corrections.

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17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason said Salazar was distributing “massive” amounts of fentanyl into the Adams County area.

According to the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Salazar was an indirect large-scale customer of the Sanudo-Rivera drug trafficking organization. A wiretap led investigators to Salazar, which allowed investigators to surveil his transactions and after he obtained drugs, they pursued Salazar. He was apprehended and allegedly found in possession of a kilo of fentanyl pills and smaller amounts of methamphetamines and cocaine.

“Those who would distribute this poison must face the consequences and that’s exactly what happened here,” Mason said in a press release. “When I created the Drug Trafficking Unit at the DA’s Office, our goal was to work with our law enforcement partners to take down large-scale drug dealers and break pipelines that feed these poisons into our community. This conviction and hefty sentence speak to the strength of the investigative and prosecutorial work that made this operation such a success.”

Investigation details large-scale operation

According to previous information released by the 17th DA’s office, officials first overheard a discussion held on April 11, 2023, between three of the indicted individuals in which they agreed to sell fentanyl and methamphetamine. According to the November 2023 indictment, one of the defendants commonly delivered drugs and picked up payments from various large-scale drug sales across the Denver Metro area.

The indictment specified that the drug runner sold fentanyl to a woman in Federal Heights on May 24, 2023. That woman allegedly sold fentanyl to Diego Salazar on May 24 near 92nd Avenue and Tejon Street in Federal Heights.

Law enforcement allege they observed the transaction and attempted to stop Salazar, who fled in his vehicle at high speeds, according to the indictment. Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies pursued Salazar, who continued to drive after his tires were disabled. The indictment also states that Salazar fired “a number of shots” at a deputy in pursuit, and eventually stopped his vehicle to flee.

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The indictment said that Salazar was detained after throwing an item over a bridge into a body of water. Officers say they searched Salazar’s vehicle and found 1,178 grams of fentanyl pills, 62 grams of methamphetamine, 32 grams of cocaine, a loaded pistol magazine and an AR-15.

The remaining cases from the drug trafficking indictment are active and pending in Adams County. Seven of the nine defendants are in custody while two remain at large, according to the DA.

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