Drugs Worth $400,000 And Stolen Artwork Recovered By Police In US

The Colorado Police Department recovered $400,000 worth of drugs and stolen American paintings. On December 14, employees of an American company transported several artworks from Los Angeles to Englewood, CO and Sante Fe, New Mexico and stayed back at a hotel in Boulder. On waking up, they discovered that truck's padlock was cut open. Five paintings from renowned American artists were gone, reported New York Post.

According to the report, the paintings which were being transported included an Elaine de Kooning, famous for her abstract portraits of President John F. Kennedy, a bucolic painting by Jane Freilicher, and three landscapes depicting the Taos and Laguna Pueblos by well-known members of the Taos Society of Artists.

Patrol officer Patrick Meehan got to know that the paintings were in a hotel room in Lakewood, and the Boulder Police Department coordinated with their colleagues in Lakewood. When searched, they recovered all the stolen artwork, still intact, as well as numerous other stolen items, such as handguns and electronics. Not just that, the officers also recovered a large stash of drugs: nearly 2,000 fentanyl pills and 23 grams of methamphetamine. The FBI also assisted in the investigation, the report further said.

The suspect was Brandon Camacho-Levine, 31, and has been booked on an array of charges.

Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said, "This is a prime example of the great policework our officers do every day in Boulder, and I could not be more proud of Officer Meehan, Patrol, the Special Enforcement Unit and our partners at the Lakewood Police Department. Not only did we recover this artwork still intact, but we also took these deadly drugs that plague our community off the street."

The couple whose two paintings were stolen expressed outrage. Colleen Fanning told New York Post, "My reaction was fury. I was so upset that they had been taken. We were shocked and appalled and had no idea that something like this could even happen."