GLENWOOD SPRINGS — In most of the cases tied to the alleged drug ring “The Boys,” the connection between the suspects and the drug network are not clear.

The affidavits paint a picture of at least two drug networks not explicitly linked to The Boys. If they are connected, those ties are not indicated in the affidavits, and officials aren’t saying what those connections are.

Several other suspects are accused of being street-level dealers of cocaine, meth, LSD and marijuana. Three suspects are wanted on charges related to illegal sales of prescription drugs, with no apparent tie to a broader drug network.
Suspected cocaine rings

The informant at the heart of the investigations led undercover officers to Rico Haywood, 32, of Glenwood Springs, suspected of selling cocaine to several valley dealers. Vaughn Steven Seery, 24, of Glenwood Springs, a suspected dealer, allegedly bought cocaine from both The Boys and Haywood, but no other tie between them is clear. Haywood’s family members acknowledged he might have been selling cocaine, but denied any tie to The Boys.

“Don’t nobody join no major drug cartel in a year,” said his brother David Haywood, who said Rico Haywood had only been in Glenwood Springs for a year, and as a black man, was not likely to join a drug organization allegedly run by Hispanics.

“That would never happen,” he said.

Another investigation uncovered an alleged three-tiered cocaine network, but affidavits don’t make clear whether its members were part of The Boys network either, and officials won’t say.

In that case, Ryan Shane Dooley, 32, of Carbondale, was accused of selling cocaine to the informant outside the Glenwood Springs 7-Eleven on Feb. 21.

Dooley was allegedly buying his drugs from Lonnie Neil Colglazier, of Glenwood Springs, one of the suspects still at large. Colglazier, who was allegedly making crack cocaine, is accused of buying at least some of his cocaine from his neighbor.

Police tips dating back to 2005 suggested that the neighbor, Ernesto Escamilla, 48, was selling coke and meth from his apartment. After the informant allegedly made a deal with Colglazier and Escamilla, TRIDENT officers and Garfield County’s All Hazards Response Team raided Escamilla’s apartment on March 7.

They allegedly found more than 12 grams of cocaine. One bindle was said to be in the bra of a 16-year-old girl believed to be a courier. Cocaine was allegedly stashed in the ceiling, where investigators said they also found a .22-caliber pistol. The search also allegedly turned up photos, including one of a girl posing with cash and cocaine, and photos of Escamilla “pressing wads of cash against his face as if posing.”

Escamilla, the girl and roommate Ruben Cruz Gallardo, 42, were all arrested.

After Escamilla allegedly bragged to another inmate that investigators had missed some of the drugs, they returned four days later and said they found more cocaine and meth.

Ties unclear

Other suspects’ ties are also unclear. Affidavits do not spell out what, if any, connection several alleged low-level dealers have with The Boys. Some cases long precede the April round of arrests.

One case involved a mother-son pair, Patricia and Nathan Gray, of Rifle, accused of selling marijuana for guns in the presence of children last December. They deny any tie to The Boys.

“It’s a complete fabrication,” Nathan Gray said.

In another December case, Larkin Harris, of Rifle, is accused of selling marijuana to the informant. Public defender Garth McCarty is arguing Harris was coerced into the sale and has no ties to The Boys.

Investigators appear to believe Harris has ties to another suspect, Michael Nastiuk, 66, of Silt.

“You got me,” Nastiuk allegedly told investigators when they appeared at his home in January.

Nastiuk was allegedly found with 64 pounds of pot, filling a filing cabinet drawer and a 19-gallon bucket.

“You found the stinky stuff,” he allegedly said when officers revealed the bucket.

Officers said Nastiuk told them he imported the drugs himself from Mexico. His attorney Ted Hess denies Nastiuk has any ties with The Boys.

Three others are accused of selling prescription medication, apparently from their own prescriptions. One of them, Cory Lane McAnally, 49, of Rifle, acknowledged that, “they may find I made a mistake and discrepancies,” but he denied any ties with The Boys.

dfrey@aspendailynews.com