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The District Attorney — 18th Judicial District

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Tag

fentanyl

Boyfriend convicted of child abuse after 3-year-old overdoses on fentanyl sentenced to 20 years in prison

On July 27, a jury found Antonio Espinosa-Tovar, 29, guilty of child abuse and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

In May 2021, officers with the Aurora Police Department were dispatched to Children’s Hospital Colorado when a 3-year-old was brought in for medical attention after ingesting an unknown opioid.

Toxicology tests taken confirmed the child had fentanyl in his system. Fortunately, medical staff was able to stabilize the child after administering three doses of Naloxone.

Upon searching the home where Espinosa-Tovar, his girlfriend, and her two children resided, investigators found three separate bags on a shelf containing 71 Oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl.

Espinosa-Tovar admitted to investigators that he was currently out of work and had been selling pills to make extra money. He also admitted that he knew the child had taken a pill after he found half of a pill on the floor.

Espinosa-Tovar’s trial began Monday, July 25. Just after 1 p.m. Wednesday, a jury returned guilty verdicts on both counts.

“We very much would like to thank the jury for recognizing the very dangerous situation that this child was placed in,” Deputy District Attorney Lauren Knapp said.

Espinosa-Tovar was sentenced on Oct. 13, 2022 to 20 years in the Department of Corrections.

“We’re grateful that this 3-year-old child was able to recover following Mr. Espinosa Tovar’s reckless actions,” District Attorney John Kellner said. “While this situation could have ended in tragedy, this man must be held accountable for putting innocent lives in danger. He made a careless choice to leave this deadly poison in a residence where young children were staying.”

Boyfriend convicted of child abuse after 3-year-old overdoses on fentanyl sentenced to 20 years in prison was last modified: October 13th, 2022 by Eric Ross
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Aurora man sentenced to 64 years to life in prison after teenager dies from fentanyl overdose

On July 21, Arapahoe County Judge Darren Vahle sentenced Jorge Alexander Che-Quiab, 27, to 64 years to life in prison for his role in distributing fentanyl to a 16-year-old victim who ultimately died from an overdose at a party.

Following the six-day trial that ended May 3, the jury returned guilty verdicts on charges of manslaughter, two counts of distribution of a controlled substance to a minor, two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, sexual assault of a child, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and sexual assault (victim under 15).

“He played Russian roulette with people’s lives,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Darcy Kofol said. “He was only thinking about himself that night. He knew exactly what was in those pills and he crushed them up and gave them to those girls.”

In August 2020, Aurora Police were called to Che-Quiab’s home on a report of a possible overdose. The victim was pronounced dead on-scene when paramedics arrived.

“You cut off a branch of this girl’s family tree,” Judge Darren Vahle said. “That kind of pain will last for years and years.”

The investigation revealed Che-Quiab and another adult man supplied alcohol, marijuana and fentanyl to a group of underage girls during a social gathering at Che-Quiab’s home. Che-Quiab told police that one of the girls appeared to be suffering from an overdose, but he decided to go to bed and not seek emergency medical care on her behalf.

The next morning, others in the house awoke and found the girl was unresponsive and not breathing. 9-1-1 was called, and Che-Quiab admitted that he used the time before emergency personnel arrived to flush some of the remaining drugs down the toilet.

Further investigation revealed that during the same gathering, Che-Quiab sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl to whom he had also supplied a large quantity of alcohol. A thorough search of his house led to the seizure of 300 pills laced with fentanyl in addition to several bricks of Heroin.

“I am committed to aggressively prosecuting those who distribute this toxic and deadly poison in our community,” District Attorney John Kellner said. “As we’ve tragically witnessed, these fentanyl pills can be just as deadly as a bullet. It’s important to note that Mr. Che-Quiab had multiple chances to call for medical attention. Instead, he made the cowardly decision to go to sleep and do nothing. He was able to wake up in the morning, but this victim was not. His actions were reckless and egregious.”

Sentencing information:

Manslaughter: 12 years (consecutive to all counts)

Controlled substance distribution to a minor: 20 years (consecutive to all counts)

Controlled substance distribution to a minor: 20 years (consecutive to all counts)

Possession with intent to distribute heroin: 8 years (concurrent)

Possession with intent to distribute fentanyl: 8 years (concurrent)

Sexual assault of a child: 12 years to life (consecutive to all counts)

Contributing to the delinquency of a minor: 12 years (concurrent)

Sexual assault (victim under 15): 12 years to life (concurrent)

Jorge Che-Quiab 

Aurora man sentenced to 64 years to life in prison after teenager dies from fentanyl overdose was last modified: July 21st, 2022 by Eric Ross
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Grand jury indicts 8 people in fentanyl distribution ring

The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and DEA announced the indictment of 8 individuals involved in a large-scale fentanyl distribution operation during a press conference July 6.

A tip about possible fentanyl trafficking led investigators to open a case in December 2021. Over the course of several months, law enforcement spent countless hours conducting multiple drug buys and wiretap investigations.

As a result of this case, more than 200,000 fentanyl pills were seized along with 9.4 lbs. of heroin, a kilogram of cocaine, 4 guns and approximately $60,000 worth of stolen merchandise.

“In my 31 years in law enforcement, I have never seen anything like the current drug crisis and how it is impacting our communities,” DEA Special Agent in Charge Bryan Besser said. “The availability and accessibility of fake pills right now is staggering. They are available everywhere and anywhere. The illicit drug market is saturated.”

The fentanyl pills are likely coming in from Mexico with the Denver-Metro area being used as a distribution hub. Searches of two separate vehicles were conducted. In one vehicle, officers found approximately 170,000 pills. Authorities also conducted a traffic stop on I-70 for a second vehicle that was under surveillance for drug trafficking. During that stop, officers seized approximately 30,000 pills.

“My Organized Crime Unit (OCU) is committed to investigating and aggressively prosecuting the people who import and peddle this poison. Too often we hear about someone dying from taking just one of these pills.” District Attorney John Kellner said. “I believe this operation saved lives. It wouldn’t have been possible without the help from our partner agencies.”

The DEA, HSI, Rocky Mountain HIDTA, Denver Police, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office were all involved this operation.

The following individuals are facing multiple charges related to Grand Jury Case No. 21CR1:

Carla Estefani Ramos-Vasquez

Mercy Rosario Ramos-Mejia

Francisco Geovanni Ramirez-Gomez

Misael Saavedra-Figueroa

Estefany Carolina Chavez-Minero

Josue Obed Elvir Arteaga

Gersen Ramos

Oscar Diaz

A copy of the indictment is available via the courts. Criminal charges are merely a formal accusation that an individual has committed a crime. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Grand jury indicts 8 people in fentanyl distribution ring was last modified: July 6th, 2022 by Eric Ross
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  • Jury convicts Colorado Springs man in deadly DUI crash on I-25 frontage road
  • Sex offender who posed as Immigration Official and assaulted young girls sentenced to four decades in prison
  • Report of October 25, 2022 officer-involved shooting in Lone Tree
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