In Denver, a significant drug dealer who trafficked large amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine has been sentenced to 30 years in prison by the Colorado Department of Corrections. This decision comes after several convictions in Adams County, as confirmed by a representative from the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday.
The individual in question, Ivan Rodriguez, aged 32, was the target of an extensive investigation focusing on his widespread distribution of various illicit substances in the area. This investigation was detailed in a press release by the spokesperson.
On November 2, 2022, Rodriguez was apprehended by law enforcement officers as they trailed him from a hotel to a nearby establishment. Subsequent to obtaining and executing a search warrant, the police discovered a substantial quantity of illegal drugs. Among the confiscated items were 147.94 grams of methamphetamine, 112.44 grams of fake Oxycodone (laced with fentanyl), 1.39 grams of Ketamine, and 13.77 grams of counterfeit Xanax.
Prosecutors said he was wearing a shirt that read “drug dealer” at the time of his arrest.
Rodriguez then posted bond on Nov. 8 of that year, failed to appear in court on Jan. 17, 2023, was re-arrested and posted bond again on May 15, 2023, according to prosecutors.
While out on bond, Rodriguez was seen conducting a drug deal with ties to a Mexican drug cartel and then led Thornton police on a high-speed chase, during which he discarded a backpack, the release states. Inside, police found 1.68 kilograms of fentanyl, 2.56 kilograms of methamphetamine, a firearm, nearly $3,000 in cash, and multiple cell phones.
He was arrested for that crime on December 10, 2023, and admitted to having narcotics in a car he was driving at the time. A search of the vehicle revealed nearly three pounds of methamphetamine and 21 grams of counterfeit fentanyl pills, prosecutors said.
Rodriguez pleaded guilty to multiple charges drug possession with the intent to distribute and was sentenced in February of this year to 14 years in the 2023 case. On April 29, he was sentenced to an additional 16 years for the other two crimes, to be served concurrently with each other but consecutively to the first sentence, the DA spokesperson said.
This defendant was a major source of deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine in our community and acted with utter disregard for the lives destroyed by these drugs,” said District Attorney Brian Mason. “Thirty years in prison is an appropriate and necessary consequence for these crimes. The District Attorney’s Office will continue to prioritize the prosecution of high-level traffickers like Mr. Rodriguez who profit from addiction and death.”
