5 Arrested in Northern Colorado Cocaine Bust, Other Suspects at Large

Fresh off the heels of a fentanyl bust, the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force (NCDTF) has arrested five members of a local drug trafficking organization.

According to a Facebook post from the Larimer County Sheriff's Office (LCSO), the arrests are part of a long-term NCDTF narcotics investigation into the ring, which the agency believed to be distributing cocaine.

The investigation came to a head on Wednesday (Oct. 5) when law enforcement executed search warrants at properties in Loveland, Fort Collins, and Frederick.

Get our free mobile app

LCSO said that, during the searches, officers recovered $64,000 worth of cocaine, 3.3 grams of fentanyl, 340 tabs of LSD, 500 Xanax pills, five pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, narcotics distribution equipment, $44,000 in cash, and 17 firearms.

Police suspect one of the firearms is a "ghost," or unserialized, gun. Investigators also seized other unnamed items.

After the seizures, authorities booked five suspects into the Larimer County Jail on the following charges:

• Tray Renfro of Fort Collins, 27
  • Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substance
  • Distribution of Controlled Substance
• Jose Angel Morales-Acevedo of Loveland, 21
  • Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substance
  • Distribution of Controlled Substance
• Josue Hernandez-Tremillo of Frederick, 29
  • Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substance
  • Distribution of Controlled Substance
  • Distribute Controlled Substance
•  Cheyenne Lakoda Merlino of Loveland, 21 | out on a $25,000 bond
  • Possession with Intent to Distribute
  • Special Offender
  • Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
  • Child Abuse
• Aaron Marez of Loveland, 26 | out on a $1,000 bond
  • Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substance
  • Distribution of Controlled Substance

NCDTF detectives have additional arrest warrants out for the following suspects, who are wanted for Distribution of Controlled Substance and Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substance:

• Noah Klausner of Windsor, 22
• Soteros Palmer-Hillman of Parker, 25
• Trevor Gregory of Loveland, 26

Fort Collins Police Services (FCPS), Loveland Police Department (LPD), LCSO, Windsor Police Department (WPD), Colorado Adult Parole, and 12 other organizations are assisting in this investigation.

No other information is available at this time.