Fentanyl, meth trafficker gets 376-year prison sentence for Colorado drug crimes

The leader of a drug trafficking operation in Colorado was sentenced to a whopping 376 years in prison, according to county officials.

Jose Arellano-Arredondo, 67, was sentenced last week after a jury found him guilty in June of more than 40 counts, including drug-related and money laundering charges, the Weld County District Attorney's Office said in a news release.

"For years, this man flooded our streets and community with massive quantities of poison," Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Pirraglia said in the release. "The true extent of the lives he destroyed may never be known. He exploited others’ addictions for personal profit, and we will not tolerate this behavior in our community."

How was Arellano-Arredondo caught?

Arellano-Arredondo's conviction came after an undercover investigation, which began in 2019, by a drug task force organized by the county. The investigation found that drugs were trafficked from Mexico to Nevada and Arizona before reaching Arellano-Arredondo in Greeley, Colorado, according to the DA's office.

Authorities also made undercover purchases before executing search warrants at Arellano-Arredondo’s home in September 2020.

Throughout the investigation into Arellano-Arredondo's operation, law enforcement would intercept and seize thousands of fentanyl pills, multiple pounds of meth, several ounces of cocaine and more than $100,000 in cash, according to the release. All the money and illegal drugs were connected to Arellano-Arredondo and his co-conspirators.

Arellano-Arredondo is currently being housed at the Colorado Department of Corrections.