Army soldier arrested in Colorado nightclub raid charged with distributing cocaine

USA Today

02-05-2025

Army soldier arrested in Colorado nightclub raid charged with distributing cocaine
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A U.S. Army soldier who was present at an illegal nightclub in Colorado where over 100 people suspected of being in the country unlawfully were detained has been arrested on federal drug charges, authorities said.
Staff Sgt. Juan Gabriel Orona-Rodriguez was assigned to Fort Carson, an Army post south of the underground nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Denver said. FBI special agents arrested Orona-Rodriguez, 28, on April 30.
A criminal complaint alleges that Orona-Rodriguez had illegally distributed controlled substances while serving as an active-duty Army soldier. Prosecutors accused Orona-Rodriguez of selling cocaine to an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent during the week of the raid.
After obtaining a search warrant for Orona-Rodriguez's phone, prosecutors said investigators discovered text messages between September 2024 and April 2025 that appeared to show him conspiring with others to purchase and distribute the drug.
He was charged by complaint with one count each of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and conspiracy to distribute cocaine, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado said in a news release May 1.
The DEA's Rocky Mountain Division, the Army Criminal Investigation Division, and Fort Carson officials assisted in the investigation and facilitated Orona-Rodriguez's arrest on the evening of April 30, according to the FBI.
Fort Carson did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on May 1.
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About 17 service members were present at the underground nightclub
More than 300 officers and agents from multiple federal and local law enforcement agencies were involved in an overnight raid at the Colorado Springs nightclub, known as Warike, on April 27.
Colorado Springs Police Department Chief Adrian Vasquez said the raid was a "result of a months-long investigation into serious criminal activity in our community."
Over 200 people had been inside the nightclub for an "illegal party" when officers and agents entered the building, according to the DEA. The agency said it warned people inside the building to come out before arrests began at around 3:45 a.m. local time.
Orona-Rodriguez was one of about 17 active-duty Army service members present at the nightclub during the raid, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Some of the service members were patrons, according to DEA Rocky Mountain Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen.
Prosecutors alleged that Orona-Rodriguez appeared to have held a leadership role at a business that provides armed security at nightclubs — "including an after-hours, unlawful nightclub called Warike."
"On numerous occasions, the Colorado Springs Police Department received 911 calls related to Warike, citing a wide variety of alleged crimes, including weapons violations, assault, narcotics, and other violent crime," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
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DEA: More than 100 undocumented immigrants arrested at nightclub
The DEA said 114 people, who are believed to be in the U.S. unlawfully, were arrested and put on buses for processing and likely eventual deportation.
The raid was one of the largest in terms of arrests since President Donald Trump took office in January and made immigration a signature issue for his presidency. Trump has launched a sweeping immigration crackdown, including deporting immigrants to an El Salvador prison, attempting to cancel birthright citizenship, and detaining international student activists and foreign travelers.
Federal agencies have stepped up enforcement actions in recent months amid the president's push for mass deportations.
The raid in Colorado Springs occurred after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the agency and state officials in Florida arrested nearly 800 people who were in the U.S. illegally over four days in what it called a "massive, multi-agency immigration enforcement crackdown."
The U.S. Attorney's Office said the raid in Colorado Springs was part of "Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime."
Contributing: Lauren Villagran and Ignacio Calderon USA TODAY; Reuters