Traffickers Sentenced to Federal Prison for Their Roles in the Distribution of Firearms, Fentanyl and Methamphetamine in Colorado
DENVER — U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Xavier Drew, 29, of Englewood, was sentenced on March 6 to 162 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Drew was also ordered to pay restitution to the Small Business Administration for a $14,862 fraudulent PPE Covid Loan he received. Co-defendant, Esvin Ivan Calles-Corrales, 28, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced on March 7 to 60 months' imprisonment, and a subsequent three-year term of supervised release. Additional defendants in the case have pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
According to court documents, Drew plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 400 grams and more of fentanyl and 50 grams and more of methamphetamine and to one count for trafficking firearms. The defendant also agreed to pay restitution to the Small Business Association for a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan application. Calles-Corrales pled guilty to two counts, alleging the distribution of both methamphetamine and fentanyl in the District of Colorado and elsewhere.
Starting in 2022, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) initiated an investigation into a suspected criminal street gang involving Drew and his associates. The investigation revealed that Drew was engaged in the illegal sale firearms, including semi-automatic weapons, “ghost guns” (lacking serial numbers), firearms with obliterated serial numbers, a silencer and Glock “switches”, which are 3-D printed devices that allow a handgun to fire in a fully automatic manner. He and his associates, referred to as members of the “GUWOP gang”, were also selling fentanyl and methamphetamine.
While investigating Drew’s sources of supply, USPIS discovered a parcel addressed to Drew that included an children’s music box with a vacuum-sealed bag containing a large quantity of methamphetamine and a latex glove containing a large quantity of fentanyl pills. Further investigation revealed that Calles-Corrales shipped the package from Arizona to Drew’s Aurora, Colorado address. It was determined that Calles-Corrales was shipping narcotics from Arizona to Colorado and facilitating the transfer of related proceeds to Mexico.
During the investigation, agents seized large quantities of methamphetamine and thousands of fentanyl pills. They also seized and forfeited numerous firearms, Glock “switches” and over $19,000 in U.S. currency.
“The primary goal of the Office of the United States Attorney of Colorado is to keep our communities safe,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. “When armed drug dealers are taken off the streets, we move one step closer to a safer Colorado. I continue to commend our law enforcement partners for their critical, dedicated work toward helping achieve this goal.”
“Xavier Drew was a key figure in a vast criminal network which engaged in firearms and narcotics trafficking, extending far beyond our Colorado communities," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Brent Beavers. "Thanks to the hard work of our ATF special agents and our partners at the USPIS and DEA, their criminal enterprise has been dismantled as they now face justice within the confines of federal prison."
“This investigation affirms the correlation between drug trafficking and firearms. The results of this investigation affirm that DEA and our partners will continue to pursue those individuals and their networks which are causing our communities harm,” said DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge David Olesky.”
U.S. District Court Judge Raymond P. Moore presided over the sentencings on March 6 and 7. The ATF, USPIS and the DEA investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Giles handled the prosecution.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the U.S. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information on the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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