A nine-month investigation resulted in three arrests and the seizure of about $1.3 million in methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine in La Plata County.
The Southwest Drug Task Force announced the drug bust Wednesday in a news release.
The investigation, nicknamed “Operation Bad Mule,” began in April and culminated Friday and Saturday with three arrests in Durango: Salvador Anguiano-Estrada, Stacy Lutz and Raquel Salazar, all of Casa Grande, Arizona.
They are being held at the La Plata County Jail on suspicion of felony possession of drugs with intent to distribute.
The trio imported and distributed large quantities of drugs in La Plata County, according to the news release.
Authorities seized 10 pounds of meth, 7 pounds of heroin, 2.3 ounces of cocaine, $5,100 in cash and two automobiles.
“It’s a very big one for us,” said Lt. Ryan Engle, drug unit commander for the Task Force. “The 7 pounds of heroin is alarming. We’ve never seen 7 pounds of heroin in this community – not at once. I can’t say all of it was destined for here.”
The value of the drugs are a street value, meaning $1.3 million is what they would fetch if sold on the street as individual doses. There are about three doses to 1 gram of meth or 0.3 grams of heroin.
The bust closes one chapter in the local drug-trafficking trade, Engle said, but work remains to be done. “We upset the drug trade for a very short period of time,” he said. “Someone else will step up” to fill the void.
The task force estimates a total of 33 pounds of meth entered La Plata County as part of Anguiano-Estrada’s organization during the course of the investigation. That means 23 pounds made it to the streets.
The task force credited “Jimmy,” a drug-sniffing dog owned by the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office, with finding 7 pounds of meth and 7 pounds of heroin stashed in the engine compartment of a seized vehicle. It would have taken investigators a couple of days to discover the drugs without the K-9’s help, Engle said.
The Southwest Drug Task Force consists of investigators from the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office, Durango Police Department, Ignacio Police Department and Bayfield Marshal’s Office. Several other agencies assisted with the investigation, including the Drug Enforcement Agency, Southern Ute Police Department, Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office and Cortez Police Department.
