Soldier at a Colorado nightclub during an immigration raid charged with distributing cocaine
A soldier present at an after-hours nightclub where more than 100 immigrants suspected of being in the U.S. illegally were taken into custody last weekend has been charged with distributing cocaine, court records show.
Staff Sgt. Juan Gabriel Orona-Rodriguez, who is assigned to Fort Carson, an Army post near the illegal club in Colorado Springs, was arrested Wednesday evening, the FBI said in a statement.
Orona-Rodriquez has been charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, according to an arrest affidavit. It said he allegedly sold cocaine to an undercover agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration days before the raid.
It wasn't immediately known if Orona-Rodriguez — a member of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team in the 4th Infantry Division — had a lawyer ahead of an expected court appearance Thursday.
The FBI said the arrest followed an investigation by the DEA, the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division and officials at Fort Carson.
More than 300 law enforcement officers and officials from multiple agencies participated in Sunday's operation at the nightclub, which had been under investigation for months for alleged activities including drug trafficking, prostitution and 'crimes of violence,' said Jonathan Pullen, special agent in charge of the DEA's Rocky Mountain Division.
Cocaine was among the drugs found, Pullen said at a news conference.
Orona-Rodriquez was one of about 17 active-duty U.S. Army service members who were at the club, known as Warike, when it was raided early Sunday, the affidavit said.
He appears to have held a leadership role in a business that provides armed security at nightclubs, including at Warike, according to the document. However, it did not say whether he was working security there at the time of the raid. It notes that he had been warned by his commanding officer this spring that he could not work for the security company.
Rodriguez received more than a dozen Army awards during his almost nine years in service, including an Army Commendation Medal with combat device, which is earned during a deployment where the soldier was 'performing meritoriously under the most arduous combat conditions,' according to Army descriptions of the award.
Of the 17 soldiers who were at the venue at the time of the raid, 16 were patrons and one was working there in a security role, a U.S. official said on the condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public. Sixteen of the soldiers there were assigned to Fort Carson, the official did not know where the seventeenth was assigned.
Investigators suspect Orona-Rodriguez was getting cocaine from an unidentified Mexican citizen who is 'unlawfully present in the United States without admission,' according to the affidavit.
President Donald Trump posted a link to the DEA video of the raid on his social media site, Truth Social. 'A big Raid last night on some of the worst people illegally in our Country — Drug Dealers, Murderers, and other Violent Criminals, of all shapes and sizes,' the president wrote.
_____
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Spirit Airlines passenger calls in fake bomb threat
A bone-headed passenger booked on a Spirit Airlines flight out of Detroit called in a fake bomb threat after learning he would miss his trip - sparking hysteria at the airport and forcing the flight to be canceled. John Charles Robinson, of Monroe, Michigan, is accused of calling Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Thursday morning and reporting that a person planned to blow up the Los Angeles-bound plane. The 23-year-old had a ticket for Spirit Airlines Flight 2145 but missed the boarding window, according to the US Attorney's Office. After learning at the gate that he had to reschedule his trip, Robinson called the airport at around 6:25am and told the alarming lie, authorities said. 'I was calling about 2145… because I have information about that flight,' he told an employee, according to an affidavit. 'Please don't let that flight board,' he allegedly pleaded. The flight was immediately canceled, forcing passengers and crew off the aircraft. Bomb-sniffing dogs and FBI agents swarmed the plane but found nothing. FBI agents learned Robinson had missed the flight and arrested him when he returned to the airport for his rescheduled trip to LA. Officials said the suspect admitted to making the call, ABC News reported. Robinson allegedly confirmed the phone number used to make the call was his and gave written permission to agents to search the device. He was charged with using a cellphone to threaten/maliciously convey false information concerning an attempt or alleged attempt to damage/destroy an airplane by means of an explosive, as well false information and hoaxes. Robinson appeared in court on Friday and was released on $10,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear before a judge again on June 27. 'No American wants to hear the words "bomb" and "airplane" in the same sentence,' US Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. said.
Daily Record
6 hours ago
- Daily Record
'El Chapo' brother of ex-Liverpool player disputes sentence for £26m drug empire
Jonathan Cassidy imported hundreds of kilos of cocaine into the UK in modified vehicles before it was distributed by his younger brother Jamie. An ex-builder who ran a £26m drug empire with his former Liverpool FC wonderkid brother has failed in his bid to challenge his EncroChat sentence. Jonathan Cassidy imported hundreds of kilos of cocaine from South America in an international drugs racket with his younger brother Jamie and business partner Nasar Ahmed, reports the Liverpool Echo. Cassidy, 50, boasted on Encrochat messages that his criminal enterprise was reminiscent of Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán under the name "WhiskyWasp. However, following the hack of the EncroChat network by European law enforcement, Cassidy fled to Dubai. He was arrested upon his return to the UK in October 2020. Following over three years of legal challenges where the brothers and Ahmed fought the admissibility of the EncroChat data, the defendants pleaded guilty in February 2024. Cassidy was sentenced to 21 years, nine months for conspiracy to import cocaine; conspiracy to supply cocaine; and conspiracy to conceal, transfer and disguise criminal proceeds. Cassidy appeared before London's Court of Appeal on May 20 this year in a renewed application for leave to appeal against his sentence. His challenge, brought before the high court by counsel Michael Bromley-Martin KC, said too low a discount was applied as credit for his guilty plea and the sentencing judge failed to consider exceptional mitigating factors. But dismissing his case, the Court of Appeal bench of Lord Justice Fraser, Mr Justice Hilliard and Mr Justice Constable said they were "not persuaded that the resulting sentences are manifestly excessive or reached after an error in principle". 'Instrumental in organising significant quantities of drugs' The high court heard that EncroChat data showed Cassidy's first importation occurred in early March 2020, when 194 kilograms of cocaine, which was in blocks embossed with snowmen, was imported into the country. The payments for the consignment were arranged by Ahmed, with the two men sharing the profits, which amounted to between £2,000 and £10,000 per kilo. The ECHO previously reported how the gang brought the drugs into the UK via Amsterdam hidden in vehicles with modified hides. Cassidy exchanged messages with a Dutch contact on April 2 of the same year to arrange 90 kilos of cocaine and Ahmed arranged a Hawala banker in Amsterdam to release payment. Arrangements continued until police arrested a courier and found €800,000 and nine-and-a-half kilos of cocaine. But despite the dent in operations Cassidy exchanged messages with an associate in the Netherlands about a contact who claimed to be able to source 1,200 kilos of the class A drug. Discussions were had about purchasing 10 kilos as a test run with it arriving a few days later between April 14-15. At the same time Cassidy directed his brother Jamie to oversee the distribution of 162 kilos of cocaine, with the younger man providing a list of who had been given what. By this time EncroChat had been hacked and law enforcement had access to messages. An associate of the three men called Leon Atkinson was supplied cocaine sourced from and supplied by Ahmed, with payments nearing £500,000 in Bitcoin to a wallet controlled by a contact. The Court of Appeal heard that although details varied, "both Cassidy and instrumental in organising significant quantities of drugs, arrangements payment, instructing couriers and so on". Panadol box led police to Cassidy Message analysis showed the men not only conducted business on their Encro phones, but they began to use them for everyday conversations, sharing photos of their families and special occasions. On one occasion, Cassidy referred to plain clothed police officers as "quick scruffy c**** with rucksacks", while in a different message he shared a picture of a box of Panadol. Both of these messages, paired with cell site and fingerprint analysis, helped create a detailed timeline of events for detectives. Another message showed how highly Cassidy thought of himself. When watching an episode of Narcos, he sent an image to a friend joking that he and drug lord El Chapo, who had an estimated net worth of $1bn, shared the same birthday. His friend responded: "Coincidence, I think f***ing not". The administrators of EncroChat warned users on June 13 2020 that government entities had gained access to the domain and security was no longer guaranteed. Ahmed searched online for travel updates to the UAE on July 13, but was arrested at his house in Bury two days later. Cassidy used his iPad to read an article on the ECHO about a fugitive who had been on the run for 16 years but was arrested from Portugal on his return. He left the country on a flight to Dubai that evening, but perhaps emboldened by the fact his brother had been able to return to the country without being stopped, he flew back in October, where he was arrested. Cassidy, his brother and Ahmed were all sentenced in February 2024. The judge drew attention to the scale of the operation, the amount of drugs imported, the size of the transactions and the highly organised nature of the operation. He sentenced Cassidy to 27 years, but then reduced the sentence due to conditions in prison due to covid, as well as an additional discount of 15% for the defendant's guilty plea. Cassidy's brother Jamie, a youth star at Liverpool who was top scorer for England u16s before injuries blighted his promising career, was sentenced to 13 years and three months, while Ahmed received a custodial sentence of 21 years and nine months. 'Not persuaded sentence was manifestly excessive' The Court of Appeal heard Cassidy's sentence was reduced by four months to take into account him serving a period of imprisonment during covid conditions while on remand. The judges found the sentencing judge's adjustment was sufficient and not outside the range that could properly be granted. Ahmed also appeared during the same hearing at the Court of Appeal to challenge his sentence on the same grounds as Cassidy, in particular that he was awarded an insufficient reduction for his guilty plea. The judges confirmed they dismissed Ahmed's appeal and refused a renewed application. In May 2022, four associates linked to the Cassidys and Ahmed were jailed for almost 40 years after a selfie of Atkinson led to their downfall. Liverpool man Joshua Avis is wanted by Greater Manchester Police in connection with their investigation. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Spirit Airlines flight thrown into chaos by last-minute bomb threat that triggered mass panic
A bone-headed passenger booked on a Spirit Airlines flight out of Detroit called in a fake bomb threat after learning he would miss his trip - sparking hysteria at the airport and forcing the flight to be canceled. John Charles Robinson, of Monroe, Michigan, is accused of calling Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Friday morning and reporting that a person planned to blow up the Los Angeles-bound plane. The 23-year-old had a ticket for Spirit Airlines Flight 2145 but missed the boarding window, according to the US Attorney's Office. After learning at the gate that he had to reschedule his trip, Robinson called the airport at around 6:25am and told the alarming lie, authorities said. 'I was calling about 2145… because I have information about that flight,' he told an employee, according to an affidavit. 'There's gonna be someone who's gonna try to blow up the gonna be someone that's gonna try to blow up that flight, 2145.' Robinson then described a person carrying a bomb, claiming the individual planned to bring it into the airport undetected, authorities said. 'Please don't let that flight board,' he allegedly pleaded. The flight was immediately canceled, forcing passengers and crew off the aircraft. Bomb-sniffing dogs and FBI agents swarmed the plane but found nothing. FBI agents learned Robinson had missed the flight and arrested him when he returned to the airport for his rescheduled trip to LA. Officials said the suspect admitted to making the call, ABC News reported. Robinson allegedly confirmed the phone number used to make the call was his and gave written permission to agents to search the device. He was charged with using a cellphone to threaten/maliciously convey false information concerning an attempt or alleged attempt to damage/destroy an airplane by means of an explosive, as well false information and hoaxes. Robinson appeared in court on Friday and was released on $10,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear before a judge again on June 27. 'No American wants to hear the words "bomb" and "airplane" in the same sentence,' US Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. said. 'Making this kind of threat undermines our collective sense of security and wastes valuable law enforcement resources.' Faux bomb threats are punishable by fines, prison time and felony charges. Culprits can face up to five years in custody, according to the Department of Justice.
