COLORADO, USA — A $5 million reward is up for grabs for information that leads to the arrest of a Mexican cartel leader who has been a "prominent source" of heroin throughout Colorado, the Drug Enforcement Agency announced on Wednesday.
The DEA identified Jesus Gonzalez-Penuelas, also known as “Chuy” Gonzalez as the primary supplier of heroin in the western United States over a decade ago, just as Colorado experienced a spike in heroin-related overdose deaths.
In addition to the reward announcement, the DEA also announced a new tip line specifically for information related to Gonzalez and his associates. The tip line can be accessed by calling/texting/WhatsApp at 720-355-0168 or by emailing Chuy-Reward@dea.gov. Identities are kept strictly confidential.
According to the DEA, Gonzalez’s drug production and trafficking organization is based in Northern Sinaloa, Mexico. Colorado saw heroin-related overdose deaths nearly double between 2013 and 2016, and that year Gonzalez was indicted on three counts by a grand jury in the District of Colorado. A superseding indictment was filed against him in 2018.
Drug trafficking organizations continue to exert significant control of the opioid market in the greater Denver area and now distribute large quantities of counterfeit fentanyl pills. This rise in fentanyl pill trafficking has fueled a dramatic increase in overdose deaths in Colorado, according to the DEA.
In 2018, Colorado experienced 102 fentanyl-related deaths. By 2021, that number jumped to 910, and in 2022, 920 Coloradans died from fentanyl poisoning or overdose.
The Rocky Mountain Field Division seized 565,200 fentanyl pills throughout Colorado in 2021 and 1.9 million fentanyl pills in 2022. The Colorado offices were on pace to seize a record 3 million fentanyl pills in 2023.
Gonzalez, a 54-year-old Mexican national, has black hair and brown eyes and is believed to be operating in Northern Sinaloa, Mexico. Additional information about him can be found on the DEA website. Information about the $5 million reward can be found on the U.S. Department of State website.
The Rocky Mountain Field Division said it is working closely with the Mexico City Country Office, as well as its Special Operations Division, to investigate all new leads reported to the Gonzalez tip line.
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