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Three Glenwood residents indicted in statewide prostitution ring

John Gardnerjgardner@postindependent.com

Three Glenwood Springs men were indicted along with 12 other suspected illegal immigrants accused of operating a prostitution ring with 11 locations throughout Colorado.Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced the indictment Wednesday morning. The locations were known as Mi Casa Su Casa the report states.According to the indictment Sonia Montoya-Cadena, 54, of Denver operated the brothels between Dec. 30, 2006 and April 16, 2009. The indictment was ordered on April 17.While nine of the brothels were located in the Denver area, one was located in Longmont and the other was in West Glenwood Springs at 52089 U.S. Highway 6 and 24, according to the report. The address is that of the Roaring Fork Inn and Cabins.According to the indictment, the suspects promoted and engaged in prostitution and cocaine distribution at the series of brothels. Each location would collect between $40 to $50 from each patron for 15 minutes of sex with a prostitute, and the house would split the money earned with the prostitutes. After the patrons paid for sex, they would receive a glass bead or other object to give to the prostitutes to signify they had paid.Efrain Barajas-Castro, 30, Cristobal Berron Ocampo, 27, and Isidro Cortes-Sanchez, 35, were named in the report for allegedly operating the Glenwood Springs brothel.According to the report, Barajas-Castro and Ocampo were co-owners of the brothel which operated between October 29, 2008 and April 16, 2009. The state did not release a photo of Barajas-Castro.The report stated that the two would distribute business cards with the words Botas Y Tejanas simply translated as Boots and Texans. It was reported that other locations handed out cards that said MI Casa Su Casa, or another business name, and a listed phone number to guide clients to the brothels.The report stated that Cortes-Sanchez was listed as a watchmen at the brothel. As a watchman, he would explain the arrangement to clients, receive the money and supervised the activities within the brothel. He also reportedly lived at the brothel rent free.The report stated that the Denver area brothels would split the money with the prostitutes while the other half would go to Montoya-Cadena, who would then pay the watchmen a portion of the brothels proceeds.Glenwood Springs Police Chief Terry Wilson said that the investigation was headed by the Denver Police Department and the Glenwood departments participation in the investigation was limited. He said that they had been notified a few months earlier about the investigation and the Glenwood connection.Wilson said that Denver Police arrived in Glenwood on Friday, May 1, with arrest warrants for Barajas-Castro, Ocampo, and Cortes-Sanchez and Glenwood Police helped track them down.Montoya-Cardena is charged with racketeering, pimping and distribution of a controlled substance, while the others indicted, including the three Glenwood residents, were charged with pimping.Suthers said that the case involved prostitution in an organized crime context. He also called the operation a blight on the community.I am glad to see my office along with our partners in local law enforcement shut down this extensive operation, Suthers said.The Office of the Attorney General partnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Denver Police Department, the Glenwood Springs Police Department, along with several front range police departments, and the Las Vegas Police Department.All the defendants will be prosecuted in Denver District Court.Contact John Gardner: 384-9114jgardner@postindependent.com


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