17th Judicial DA

First Defendant From Large-Scale Cartel Drug Trafficking Indictment 'Operation Dress for Less' Convicted, Sentenced in Adams County


April 15, 2024

Brighton, CO — Today, District Attorney Brian Mason is announcing the conviction and sentence for Diego Salazar, 29, following his guilty plea to DF1 Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and Eluding. Salazar is the first defendant from the, previously announced, Operation Dress for Less indictment to be convicted and sentenced. 

On November 1, 2023, the District Attorney's Office, our Drug Trafficking Unit, the North Metro Task Force, and the Drug Enforcement Administration Rocky Mountain Field Division announced nine grand jury indictments as a result of Operation Dress for Less. Operation Dress for Less investigated the distribution of fentanyl, methamphetamines, and cocaine between the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico and the greater Adams County area. The North Metro Task Force identified local distributors in Westminster and Federal Heights. Through the course of this operation, the task force uncovered an entire distribution network of co-conspirators that connected Mexico to Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. 


On March 27, 2024, Diego Salzar pleaded guilty to DF1 Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and F5 Eluding related to his role in the drug activities uncovered by Operation Dress for Less. Salazar was an indirect large-scale customer of the Sanudo-Rivera drug trafficking organization. A critical wiretap led investigators to Salazar. Detectives surveilled the transactions, and after Salazar obtained the drugs, they pursued the defendant. Salazar was eventually apprehended and found to be in possession of a kilo of fentanyl pills and smaller amounts of methamphetamines and cocaine. Following his guilty plea on March 27th, an Adams County District Judge sentenced Salazar to 16 years in the Department of Corrections. 

"This defendant was distributing massive amounts of fentanyl in our community and is now behind bars," said District Attorney Brian Mason. "Those who would distribute this poison must face the consequences and that’s exactly what happened here. When I created the Drug Trafficking Unit at the DA’s Office, our goal was to work with our law enforcement partners to take down large-scale drug dealers and break pipelines that feed these poisons into our community. This conviction and hefty sentence speak to the strength of the investigative and prosecutorial work that made this operation such a success."

Diego Salazar
(Diego Salazar)

The remaining cases that resulted from Operation Dress for Less are active and pending in Adams County. Seven of the nine defendants are in custody while two remain at large. 

The District Attorney's Office Drug Trafficking Unit, including Senior Lead Deputy District Attorney Joseph Vandeven, led the prosecution of this case. 
 
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District Attorney Mason assumed the oath of office on January 12, 2021. The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office endeavors to seek justice on behalf of the citizens of Adams and Broomfield counties in felony and misdemeanor cases. DA Mason and his staff are dedicated to transforming the criminal justice system to better serve the citizens of the 17th Judicial District.

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