Two Montrose residents have admitted to fueling the opioid and meth crisis in western Colorado, with Angelina Maestas and Naomi Vaughn pleading guilty to federal charges of possession and distribution of methamphetamine and heroin. The deal was entered before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gordon P. Gallagher late last week in Grand Junction, marking a significant win for federal drug enforcement in a region plagued by rural drug trafficking.
Court documents reveal Maestas and Vaughn conspired to distribute at least 50 grams of actual methamphetamine, 500 grams or more of a mixture containing meth, and less than 100 grams of heroin. The quantities point to a sustained operation, not casual dealing. Both women now face mandatory minimum sentences under federal law, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Phillips leading the prosecution.
Maestas, however, faces an additional, more sinister charge: witness, victim, or informant tampering. According to court records, she violated a court-ordered protective seal by posting discovery materials on Facebook — including information identifying at least one co-conspirator she claimed had cooperated with law enforcement. The brazen move threatened the integrity of the investigation and endangered individuals cooperating with authorities.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Denver Division, which has intensified efforts in Colorado’s rural corridors where drug networks exploit isolated communities. The distribution ring operated across Montrose, a small city increasingly targeted by traffickers using the I-70 corridor to move narcotics from urban centers into mountain towns and reservations.
Related court filings are available through PACER under case numbers 19-cr-535 and 20-cr-0166. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado issued the official press release, underscoring the federal government’s commitment to dismantling mid-level distribution operations that saturate neighborhoods with deadly substances.
As the Department of Justice celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2020, cases like this highlight the enduring challenge of drug-related crime in America. For now, Maestas and Vaughn await sentencing, their fates sealed by their own admissions in court — and in Maestas’ case, by a reckless Facebook post that made a federal case even uglier.
Related Federal Cases
- Fentanyl, Meth Ring Busted: 24 Face Federal Charges · Colorado
- Meth Kingpin Gets Life Threat in Colorado Springs · Colorado
- Montana Meth Mule Gets a Decade · Colorado
- Border Blitz: Meth & Coke Ring Falls · New Mexico
- Douglass Gurney Wood Jr. Gets 15 Years for Meth, Gun · Colorado
Key Facts
- State: Colorado
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Drug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug Trafficking