11 People Indicted On Major Denver Auto Theft Ring; 1 Suspect, Esequiel Gomez, Still On The Run

By Danielle Chavira

DENVER (CBS4) - The Denver District Attorney's Office announced it will prosecute 11 people accused of stealing at least 130 vehicles including camping trailers as well as firearms. The group was part of an organized crime ring.

Authorities are still looking for one outstanding suspect - Esequiel Gomez, 33.

The group victimized across the Denver-metro area, prosecutors say, amounting to $3 million in stolen property between Feb. 4 and May 11. The district attorney's office says they used the money to buy methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl.

The defendants allegedly used electronic key programmers to bypass key fobs for new and luxury vehicles. The suspects are also accused of burglarizing dealerships and repair shops to get keys to the vehicles.

"The individuals are accused of conducting countersurveillance by driving unpredictably and dangerously to flesh out undercover law enforcement officers. If confronted by law enforcement, they would allegedly ram vehicles, drive over obstacles, flee at high-speed and enter on-coming lanes of traffic. In addition, they are alleged to have used social media platforms including Facebook to coordinate their activities, conduct sales, evade capture and arrange bond," the district attorney's office stated in a news release.

All suspects, ranging in ages from 19 to 34 years, face a total of 74 counts.