DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces the arrests of Santos Lopez Avalos, 22, of Denver, and Jesus Enrique Astorga-Castillo, 41, of Denver, for allegations of distribution and possession with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl.
According to the complaints against the defendants, on January 4, 2023, Denver police officers conducted a traffic stop of Lopez Avalos that led to the discovery of a duffel bag containing 75 clear plastic bags of suspected fentanyl pills. Each bag contained between 500 to 1,000 pills. The officers’ investigation led them to an apartment on Dartmouth Avenue in Denver. On January 4, 2023, Denver police officers searched that apartment, belonging to Astorga-Castillo, and found 11 more clear plastic bags of suspected fentanyl pills. Each bag contained between 500 to 1,000 pills.
The two defendants made their initial appearances before United States Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews on January 6, 2023.
This investigation is being conducted by the Denver Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Rocky Mountain Division and the HIDTA Front Range Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Cyrus Y. Chung is handling the prosecution.
The charges contained in the complaints are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
CASE NUMBER: 23-mj-00003, 23 -mj-00004