Colorado crime ring busted
Eight arrests made in case involving stolen luxury vehicles and black-market pot
A request to install a hidden compartment in a 2018 Dodge Charger, worth an estimated $43,875, raised a red flag with a Littleton businessman. Further scrutiny of the odd request snowballed, exposing an organized ring that dealt in stolen luxury vehicles and had ties to blackmarket marijuana that was being shipped across the country, according to court documents.
In some cases, the stolen vehicles were used to ship marijuana. Other times, the suspects sold the highend vehicles to unsuspecting victims who paid big bucks for vehicles that have now been seized. Suspects also used some of the flashy stolen vehicles for their personal use.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority announced Wednesday the arrests of eight suspects, four of whom were wanted on warrants stemming from an Arapahoe County grand jury indictment. Four others were contacted in a series of metroarea raids Wednesday morning.
“Criminal organizations use the marijuana industry in Colorado to operate in not only black-market marijuana cultivation and distribution but also many other criminalrelated activities,” said William McDermott, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Denver field division.
The suspects indicted by the Arapahoe County grand jury are Joshua Robertson, Sage Greco, David Guzman, Cody Kerstiens, Jason Siew and Brian Richburg. Two of the indicted suspects remained at large Wednesday. Police did not identify which ones.
Police also did not release the names of the four people arrested who were not indicted.
“There were no injuries. Everything went off without a hitch,” said Cmdr. Mike Greenwell of the Metropolitan Auto Theft Task Force.
Federal, state and local authorities have been investigating for six months. Eight search warrants were executed Wednesday morning at homes in Aurora, Arvada and Federal Heights, where stolen vehicles were stored and illegal pot grows were being run, authorities said.
About 17 stolen vehicles — valued at $1.2 million — were recovered throughout the metro area. Among the stolen vehicles were a black Lamborghini and a silver Mercedes S550 convertible worth an estimated $100,550, according to the indictment.
High-end pickups and SUVs were among the stolen vehicles. The vehicles were stolen from outof-state dealerships and brought to Colorado, where vehicle identification numbers were altered and fraudulent title documents were used to register vehicles, as well as sell them to victims.