Feds: Texas pot dealers used Colorado as hiding spot

Charlie Aguilera is accused of being part of a criminal enterprise that shrouded itself in Colorado's marijuana laws to smuggle bulk quantities of high quality pot to Texas. Several members of the ring have direct ties to Houston. less Charlie Aguilera is accused of being part of a criminal enterprise that shrouded itself in Colorado's marijuana laws to smuggle bulk quantities of high quality pot to Texas. Several members of the ring have ... more Photo: Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office Photo: Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close Feds: Texas pot dealers used Colorado as hiding spot 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

If there were only a Highway 420 running between Colorado and Texas, a group of alleged marijuana growers could have made good use of it.

Federal prosecutors earlier this month joined Colorado's attorney general in going after an alleged ring. They described it as a group of 30 people accused of engaging in organized crime, tax evasion, money laundering and racketeering.

At the center: a group of Texans who allegedly used Colorado's lax marijuana laws (see the full report here).

READ MORE: Wreck in Texas Panhandle leads to $2.2 million in marijuana

The case is believed to mark the first time such charges have been filed alleging a Texas conspiracy since Colorado two years ago further relaxed its laws to allow the legal sale of pot to anyone 21 or older.

Marijuana has been found in bulk aboard outbound trains, planes, cars, trucks and often in the mail, as was the case over and over again with the ring tied to Houston.

The feds say packages of pot were headed from the Rocky Mountains to the Rio Grande on a regular basis.

RELATED: Texas agents seize more than $6 million in marijuana plants

The three packages shipped to the fictitious person were just a slice of business that was allegedly producing about 100 pounds of finished product a month and ran as many as 20 grow houses.

The investigation reaches back to February 2015.

Bank records, drug shipments and other elements in the case were traced from Colorado to Houston, Pearland, Katy and other places, according to court documents.

The cases of more than 20 people are now pending in court.