Two large drug trafficking organizations authorities say were run by a brother and sister were taken down by federal agents and 22 people were indicted by a grand jury for their part in transporting methamphetamine and cash from California to Colorado.

Twenty of the 22 indicted were arrested Wednesday in metro Denver, California, Iowa and Utah without incident.

More than six pounds of methamphetamine and $715,340 in cash and property were found by agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement in an operation they dubbed “Dark Angel.”

The drugs were being transported in organic milk cartons and in one case, a child travelling from California had cash strapped to his body to avoid detection by law enforcement.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Troyer alleged Armando Mendoza-Haro and his sister, Reyna Mendoza-Haro were running the two organizations using Playboyz Trucking LLC, a San Bernardino, Calif.-based company to move the drugs and cash to Colorado.

“There were individuals involved in the trucking company who are corrupt and there were also innocent drivers,” said Denver DEA Special Agent in Charge Barbra Roach.

A message left at Playboyz Trucking was not returned on Thursday.

While the drugs came from California, authorities believe the drugs were made in methamphetamine labs in Mexico.

The DEA got a lead about the drug organization from the Denver Police Department in July 2011 and they began working the case with more fervor, Roach said.

Sean Sowards, Special Agent in Charge of the Denver IRS, said agents “followed the money,” to help bring down the organizations because the suspects laundered the money to various bank accounts to avoid reporting deposits more than $10,000, which must be federally reported.

“These wire transfers included wires domestically and internationally, including China and Grand Cayman,” Sowards said.

Armando Mendoza-Haro was arrested in Northglenn on Wednesday and his sister was arrested in Corcoran, Calif.

Jesus Segovia, Ricky Henry Cisneros, Sonia Perez, Ivan Gomez-Avila, and Shana Louise Claybourn were arrested in Denver.

Yuly Hernandez-Orozco was arrested in Edgewater; Cris Anthony Sandoval was arrested in Lakewood; Todd Joseph Trujillo was arrested in Westminster; Christina Rose Malmgren was arrested in Highlands Ranch; and Desiree Rose Ceballes was arrested in Glendale.

In California, Miguel Angel Sanchez was arrested in San Bernardino; Daniel Munguia de Ortiz was arrested in Pomona; Carlos Martin Segura Chang was arrested in Downey; and Ricardo Paniagua-Rodriguez was arrested in San Ysidro.

In Utah, authorities captured Sergio Mendoza-Valdovinos.

In Marshalltown, Iowa, Alejandro Morales-Garcia was arrested.

Two others named in the indictment, Kennie Ray Snyder and Jamie Moreno-Lopez were already in custody.

Erika Elena Hernandez-Galaviz and Arnaldo Alvarez-Gonzalez are fugitives.

For more on this story go to: www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20755824/feds-say-traffickers-moved-meth-money-colorado-milk#ixzz1wYfubbpo