Frank Shino of Rifle and Javier Madeo of Whittier, California, were officially charged May 6 as part of an ongoing Rifle area drug sting that so far has resulted in at least a dozen arrests and the seizure of several pounds of methamphetamine.

Shino and Madeo will each face a first-degree drug felony charge, conspiracy to sell or distribute methamphetamine, which carries penalties of eight to 32 years in prison. Shino was described by a witness in his arrest affidavit as the main source of supply in Rifle, while Madeo is characterized as his out-of-state supplier.

Other suspects in the case so far have received lesser charges.

“The more drug is alleged, the higher the level of offense,” explained Deputy District Attorney Jim Leuthauser. “With methamphetamine, for example, the DF1 threshold is more than 112 grams.”

Unlike another ongoing investigation in the Carbondale area, the Rifle area cases will be split up among area judges. The total number of warrants issued in the investigation, which included three state wiretaps as well as searches of multiple locations and two vehicles, has not been released.