Suspected Hydrocodone is seen on the hood of a Garfield County Sheriff's Office vehicle following a bust on October 18, 2024.

SPEAR coordinates Hydrocodone bust in Glenwood Canyon

Drugs were seized during a traffic stop at the Bair Ranch Rest Area

PRESS RELEASE
October 29, 2024

On October 18, 2024, the Special Problem Enforcement and Response (SPEAR), with partners from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Colorado State Patrol (CSP), and the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, worked together and recovered a large amount of Hydrocodone.

Robert Newman, a resident of California, was associated with a rental car at the Bair Ranch Rest Area that was transporting the Hydrocodone. The Bair Ranch Rest Area is at exit 129 along Interstate 70.

SPEAR received information that Newman was a subject in multiple DEA investigations throughout several states, regarding the theft of pharmaceuticals. Upon contacting Newman and a subsequent “probable cause” search of Newman’s rented vehicle, Task Force Officers (TFOs) located and seized approximately 28,500 Hydrocodone pills. The street value of the Hydrocodone pills estimated at approximately $285,000.

Due to the time involved in obtaining the search warrant, Newman was released. Upon verification of the evidence, a federal criminal complaint (federal arrest warrant) was issued for Newman. Newman remains “at large” at this time. This continues to be an active investigation.

The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, Rifle Police Department, DEA, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), HSI, U.S. Marshals Service, CSP and the Colorado Bureau of Investigations are all part of SPEAR.

SPEAR is a multi-jurisdictional task force based out of the Garfield County area. Anyone with information on criminal activity is encouraged to reach out to SPEAR through your local law enforcement agency or dispatch at (970) 625-8095.

All subjects are “presumed innocent” until proven guilty.