On Oct. 16, members of the Gore Range Narcotics 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 arrests come at the end of a productive year for the multi-jurisdictional drug task force, which is comprised of 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 of Washington was sentenced to eight years in prison for smuggling 128 grams of cocaine and 13 kilograms of fentanyl pills through Eagle County.

Since then, two more people in the GRANITE cases have gone through sentencing, while 11 other people charged with felony traffic offenses are currently behind bars as they work their way through the court system. Cumulative 2024 totals of suspected drug quantities estimated to be seized include 24.5 pounds of suspected fentanyl, 73 pounds of suspected cocaine, 30 pounds of suspected fentanyl and cocaine, and 132.78 pounds of suspected methamphetamine.

In the GRANITE mine

Osuna’s case offers a little 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:

“I drove straight through the night from Phoenix, Arizona; the driver rolled down the window when he passed my location; the driver was stuck in the driving position 10-2; the driver and passenger were extremely nervous and shaking; smell of marijuana emanating from the vehicle; short trip to pick someone up in Denver, only to return back to Phoenix; the lease could not be provided indicating a third party lease; Osuna’s nervousness escalated during questions about narcotics; Osuna answered (a question about the pills) only after I gave him an answer (is it right?).”

In case Emely Hernandez, who was sentenced to five years of probation in August after pleading guilty to possession with intent to deliver fentanyl, was a standard traffic stop for turning and following too close to another vehicle leading to arrest.

However, “the time it took the vehicle to stop was unusual compared to what I often encounter,” Jaramillo noted in his report. “My awareness has been heightened in this case. My training and experience in similar situations led me to believe that something was wrong because the general motoring public usually stops in good time, usually around 20 seconds.”

Extraordinary day, extraordinary month

While all of the cases leading up to the double arrest on October 16 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 busts.

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

The man was from Indiana traveling eastbound on Interstate 70.

“Suspicious activity, including the driver attempting to grab our deputy’s weapon, prompted the deployment of K-9 Zane,” according to the release.

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

Later that day, a Minnesota man was pulled over eastbound on I-70 in Gypsum.

“Once again, criminal activity was detected, prompting the deployment of K-9 Zane 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 on the same day, led the Sheriff’s Office to give high praise to the task force.

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

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

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

On Sept. 27, a Las Vegas man was stopped on I-70 in Gypsum, where “the vehicle was determined to have fictitious plates and several signs of additional criminal behavior were also observed,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. “The ensuing search revealed 10 packages of blue pills weighing over 16 kilograms. The packages tested positive for fentanyl.”

Outlier case

While many of the GRANITE arrests fit the similar pattern of out-of-town suspects who were stopped on I-70, one case that ended this year was much different.

Gypsum resident Kathya Saenz-Hernandez, 22, pleaded guilty in August in a GRANITE case that involved more than 100 hours of investigation by 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 affidavit.

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

“On this date marijuana and THC, DMT, acid and moly purple products were for sale,” according to the affidavit. “The channel appeared to be operational and actively advertising for the sale of drugs.”

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