Three men indicted in Longmont drug ring targeting St. Vrain students
Jan. 20—Three men have been indicted by a Boulder County grand jury on charges that they provided drugs to Longmont high school students in exchange for money and sexual acts.
According to a release, a grand jury found that Mario Moreno, 24; Angelo Torres, 21; and Aldair Garcia Rodriguez, 23, would sell drugs — namely cocaine, MDMA, marijuana and marijuana concentrate — to students at various schools throughout the St. Vrain Valley School District, sometimes in exchange for sexual acts.
Moreno was indicted on 59 charges, including sex assault on a child, human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, child abuse, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, tampering with a witness, possession of a weapon by a previous offender, money laundering, tax evasion and special offender drug charges.
Torres was indicted on charges of human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and distribution of a controlled substance.
Garcia Rodriguez was indicted on five charges, including human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude and distribution of a controlled substance to a minor.
Moreno is being held on $2 million bond, Garcia Rodriguez is being held on $1 million bond and Torres is being held on $200,000 bond.
All three men have prior criminal histories, according to online court records. Moreno has pending drug distribution and witness tampering cases in Boulder County, while Torres has two pending felony menacing cases. Garcia Rodriguez has a prior conviction for menacing and illegal use of a firearm.
Moreno could be facing an indeterminate sentence on the sex assault count, while Garcia Rodriguez and Torres each could be facing up to 48 years in prison on the human trafficking charge.
"With this drug distribution operation, these men targeted and preyed upon students," Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said. "As illustrated by the charges of human trafficking and sex crimes, these men used narcotics to victimize young people.
"These indictments are the direct result of rigorous efforts by the Longmont Police Department and the outstanding teamwork between the investigators and prosecutors. Our office will continue to support the victims and our team is committed to fighting for the right result."
According to the indictments, the investigation began in September 2021 when investigators witnessed narcotics being sold at Loomiller Park.
The indictment indicated there were student victims as young as 14.
"Longmont detectives in the Special Investigations Unit undertook this investigation into adults selling multiple drugs to school-aged children that included hundreds of hours of surveillance, over fifty search warrants, and combing through thousands of lines of conversation in social media files," Longmont police Deputy Chief Jeff Satur said in a statement.
"This investigation also uncovered the human trafficking of minors that was investigated by the Boulder County District Attorney's Office. The Longmont Police Department appreciates all our partners who helped with this investigation and our partnership with the Boulder County DA's Office and their investigators.
"This was a significant and labor-intensive investigation. We are proud of our team. Their commitment to our community's well-being, the safety of the school — aged children, and the community's safety is second to none."
Officials are concerned there may be more victims. Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact Longmont police Detective Daniel Kilian at 303-774-3693 or District Attorney Senior Investigator Edna Munoz at 303-441-1355.
