Fort Carson soldier charged with distribution of cocaine after DEA operation at illegal Colorado Springs nightclub
By Christa Swanson
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Fort Carson (KCNC) — A soldier stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado has been charged with distributing cocaine after a DEA operation at an underground nightclub last week.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado said Staff Sgt. Juan Gabriel Orona-Rodriguez is one of 17 active duty U.S. Army service members who were at the Warike nightclub when the DEA executed a search warrant at the property Sunday.
According to the DEA, Orona-Rodriguez sold cocaine to an undercover agent last week. Officials said investigators obtained a search warrant for his phone and found text messages spanning from Sept. 16, 2024, to April 9, 2025 that showed him repeatedly purchasing and selling cocaine.
Orona-Rodriguez reportedly holds a leadership/ownership role in Immortal Security LLC., which authorities said provides armed security for nightclubs, including Warike. Officials said the illegal nightclub has no business or liquor license, and law enforcement has received over 170 service calls about the club in the last two years.
“On numerous occasions, the Colorado Springs Police Department received 911 calls related to Warike, citing a wide variety of alleged crimes, including weapons violations, assault, narcotics, and other violent crime,” said the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
On Sunday, the DEA, along with agents from the FBI, ICE, ATF, U.S. Postal Police, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division and local law enforcement, broke up a crowd of over 200 people at the nightclub, arresting over 100 people they said were in the country illegally. Of the 114 people arrested, 105 remained in ICE custody as of Monday.
The DEA said that some active duty military personnel were working as private security for the club at the time, while others were there as patrons.
A Fort Carson official confirmed the investigation into Orona-Rodriguez Thursday, stating, “We are aware the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of Army CID, took a Fort Carson Soldier into custody. We will continue to cooperate with all agencies involved.” He has been charged with one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Orona-Rodriguez was reportedly counseled by his commanding officer earlier this year and was told that, at the time, Immortal Security Operation LLC was off limits to members of the armed forces. Authorities said he was warned in March 2025, “You are prohibited (from) engaging in off-duty employment without the approval of the Battalion Commander IAW 4ID.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the case is part of “Operation Take Back America,” an initiative to “repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”
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