11 people suspected of stealing more than 100 vehicles in Colorado to fuel their meth, heroin and fentanyl habits

DENVER (KKTV/Gray News) - Nearly a dozen people are suspected of operating an organized crime ring in Colorado to help fuel their meth, heroin and fentanyl habits.

The Denver District Attorney’s Office announced the indictment of 11 suspects on Thursday. The group is suspected of stealing at least 130 vehicles in the Denver Metro Area. The estimated value of vehicles and property taken is about $3 million.

“The code name for the investigation, was ‘Program’ because the defendants allegedly used electronic key programmers to defeat authorized key fobs which allowed the defendants to substitute after-market key fobs to steal new and high-end cars,” part of a news release reads. “They are also accused of burglarizing auto dealerships and repair shops and then accessing keys to steal vehicles.”

The crime spree reportedly started on Feb. 24, 2021 and continued through May 11 of this year.

All defendants were arrested except for Esequiel Gomez who is presently at-large. The defendants are:

33-year-old Esequiel Gomez

24-year-old Sergio Casimiro-Mejia

23-year-old Susana Garcia

29-year-old Olivia Talamantes

19-year-old Jonathan Valdivia III

28-year-old Fabian Varela-Castillo

29-year-old Jonathan Baeza Delgado

25-year-old Karina Carbajal

19-year-old Dianna Laura Gaucin

34-year-old Felix Lopez

22-year-old Debbie Rachel Valdivia

The 11 defendants are variously charged with violating Colorado’s Organized Crime Control Act, Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft in the First Degree (F5), Possession of a Weapon by a Previous Offender, Possession with Intent to Manufacture or Distribute a Controlled Substance, Cybercrimes, Identity Theft, Theft, First Degree Assault, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, Vehicular Assault, as well as other charges.