International cocaine trafficking ring in Colorado busted, $5.3 million in cocaine seized
A joint Colorado and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigation called “Operation White Whale” obtained cocaine-dealing indictments against 16 people, seized 134 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of more than $5.3 million and confiscated another $1.2 million in cash, authorities say.
Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman revealed Wednesday that she and the DEA launched Operation White Whale in April 2017, and it has culminated in felony drug-dealing charges against 16 people in Weld County District Court.
“Cocaine use is making a comeback across the nation,” said William McDermott, special agent in charge of the DEA office in Denver, in a statement released Wednesday. He added that state, federal and international crime organizations teamed up to arrest drug traffickers across the country.
Two Colorado men, including one who lives in Greeley, ran the drug ring that imported cocaine from Mexico and then distributed the drugs to Atlanta and other locations around the country, investigators say.
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