Four men were arrested in Colorado in connection to a large-scale, multi-state fentanyl trafficking operation believed to be linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The suspects — including Rafael Salazar-Amaya, the alleged ringleader — were taken into custody following an eight-month investigation that began in Cañon City. Authorities seized approximately 800,000 fentanyl pills, fentanyl powder, meth, heroin, six vehicles, and around $60,000 in cash.
Salazar-Amaya faces 44 criminal charges, including violations of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act (COCCA). The other suspects — Fernando Noriega-Alvarado, 52; Celedonio Pulido-Romero, 31; and an unnamed 24-year-old male — face various drug and organized crime charges.
The investigation uncovered trafficking operations in the Denver metro area, northern and southern Colorado, and ties to drug networks in New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, and Mexico.
Federal authorities simultaneously arrested 16 individuals in other states as part of a broader operation — the largest fentanyl bust in DEA history — led by Heriberto Salazar Amaya, brother of the main Colorado suspect.
All four men are being held at the Adams County Detention Center and will be prosecuted by the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
