(FORT CARSON, Colo.) — The Federal Bureau of Investigation Denver (FBI Denver) has arrested a Fort Carson staff sergeant on federal charges related to distributing cocaine.
On Wednesday night, April 30, FBI Denver special agents arrested Juan Gabriel Orona-Rodriguez, who is a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army and is currently stationed at Fort Carson.
According to a Fort Carson official, Orona-Rodriguez has served almost nine years in the Army and is currently an active-duty soldier stationed with the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. According to a Fort Carson official who shared Orona-Rodriguez’s record, he has received multiple awards, including an Army Commendation Medal with Combat Device, a Meritorious Unit Commendation, and various Army Achievement Medals.
According to the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration Rocky Mountain Field Division (DEA RMFD), the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), and officials at Fort Carson participated and assisted in the investigation and “facilitated the arrest” on Wednesday evening.
“We are aware the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of Army CID, took a Fort Carson Soldier into custody,” a Fort Carson official said. “We will continue to cooperate with all agencies involved.”
Orona-Rodriguez was being held at the El Paso County Jail before he was released to the FBI on Thursday, per the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
On Sunday, April 27, an operation led by the DEA RMFD took place at an underground club in Colorado Springs where more than 100 people who entered the U.S. illegally were taken into custody, and more than a dozen active-duty service members were found either as patrons or working as armed security at the door.
“DEA is currently conducting a joint investigation with the FBI and the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID),” a spokesperson with the DEA RMFD said. “As this is an ongoing joint investigation led by the FBI, we are unable to provide further information at this time.”
FOX21 News has reached out to the FBI and is looking to learn more about the arrest. We will update this article when more information is released.
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