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Colorado’s Largest Meth Bust Leads to 15 Indictments and a 'Kingpin' Charge

Prosecutors describe a two-year multiagency probe that uncovered meth hidden in chayote shipments.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly, joined by local and federal officials, announces the indictment of several people accused of working with a Mexican drug trafficking organization, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Colleen Slevin)
Special agent in charge of the DEA in Denver Dave Olesky speaks during a press conference at the Offices of U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado in Denver on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. The group announced the largest seizure of meth in the history of Colorado. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
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Overview

  • A federal grand jury returned indictments against 15 people in Case No. 1:25-CR-240-PAB, with 11 defendants in federal custody and the others believed to be in Mexico.
  • Marco Antonio De Silva Lara is charged with operating a Continuing Criminal Enterprise, carrying a mandatory minimum of 20 years and up to life in prison.
  • Officials say the investigation intercepted more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine, including a single 733‑pound haul concealed in boxes of chayote squash.
  • Seizures detailed by prosecutors span 96 pounds on a Vail Greyhound bus in December 2024, 101 pounds plus a half kilogram of fentanyl in February 2025, over 700 pounds from a Lakewood residence in April, and nearly 50 pounds in Arvada in August.
  • DEA, FBI, IRS-CI, HSI and ICE/ERO led the probe under the Rocky Mountain Homeland Security Task Force, with prosecutions handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Transnational Organized Crime and Money Laundering Section; four defendants also face money-laundering counts.