Weld County drug ring leader sentenced to 376 years in prison – Greeley Tribune

The leader of a major Weld County drug trafficking network will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being sentenced to 376 years in prison at a sentencing hearing last week.

In June, a jury found Jose Arellano-Arredondo, 67, guilty on 44 counts, including 40 counts of manufacturing or distributing controlled substances and money laundering, state court records show.

“For years, this man flooded our streets and our community with massive amounts of poison,” said Assistant District Attorney Michael Pirraglia at the sentencing. “The true extent of the lives he destroyed may never be known. He exploited the addictions of others for his own personal gain, and we will not tolerate this behavior in our community.”

Arellano-Arredondo was arrested on September 2, 2020, in connection with more than 3 pounds of methamphetamine, 144 grams of cocaine, 130 fentanyl pills, as well as 4 pounds of marijuana and more than 100 illegal marijuana plants found at two addresses in Greeley.

His arrest came as part of an undercover investigation launched by the Weld County Drug Task Force in 2019. Law enforcement determined the drugs were transported from Mexico to Nevada and Arizona before arriving at Arellano-Arredondo in Greeley.

During the investigation, police said they seized thousands of fentanyl pills, several pounds of meth, several ounces of cocaine and over $100,000 in cash, all linked to Arellano-Arredondo and his co-conspirators.