40year prison sentence for Denver drug ring leader
The 32yearold leader of a west Denver methamphetamine and heroin ring was sentenced to 40 years in prison for his role in an assortment of crimes, including solicitation to kill two female witnesses and participation in organized crime, authorities say.
Edgar Barroso, who was indicted in 2016, pleaded guilty in November 2017 to one count of violating Colorado’s Organized Crime Control Act and one count of solicitation to commit firstdegree murder. He was sentenced Friday.
In June 2016, a Denver grand jury returned a 46count indictment against Barroso and 17 codefendants for a wide array of crimes, including assault, kidnapping, witness intimidation, sexual assault and robbery, according to a news release from Ken Lane, spokesman for Denver District Attorney Beth McCann.
The charges alleged that the defendants worked together to distribute methamphetamine and heroin at several houses in Denver, and that they committed numerous other crimes to protect and further their illegal activity, Lane said.
In the summer of 2015, Barroso allegedly struck an unnamed victim in the nose with the back of a shotgun. An arrestwarrant affidavit recounts numerous assaults, threats, gunshots and drug deals in which Barroso was allegedly involved.
Barroso is accused of beating a woman and forcing her to perform a sex act on him, the affidavit says.
Months later, Barroso was in Denver County Jail facing kidnapping charges when he spoke with a fellow inmate.
“Barroso told (name redacted) that Barroso’s case would be a whole lot easier if his victims were dead,” the affidavit says.
Barroso gave the inmate a letter that included the names, birth dates, physical descriptions and locations of two women, according to the affidavit.
Barroso promised that if the inmate killed the women, he would take care of him, including allowing him to get a Mexican Mafia tattoo, the affidavit says.
Ten of Barroso’s codefendants received sentences of up to 30 years in prison, one defendant was sentenced to 16 years in community corrections, and five received suspended prison sentences with probation.
The remaining defendant, Raquel Avila, 22, has a status hearing in Denver District Court on Sept. 28, Lane said.