Woman held on $500K bond in drug trafficking case…

MESA COUNTY, Colo. (KREX) – A 57-year-old woman is accused of being a “middleman” as part of a drug trafficking organization in Mesa County.

Monica Miller was arrested on Saturday for unlawful distribution of a controlled substance (meth and cocaine) and special offender (conspiracy and importation). She is currently being held at the Mesa County Detention Facility on a $500,000 bond.

Her affidavit alleged law enforcement identified Miller as an additional subordinate dealer of Melvin Hunsberger. He was arrested in February for vehicular eluding, tampering with physical evidence, probation violation and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine. He is currently being held in the Mesa County Detention Center on a $500,000 cash-only bond.

The Western Colorado Drug Task Force (WCDTF) and Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) learned of Miller’s involvement after receiving a wiretap search warrant for Hunsberger. Law enforcement intercepted a call between the two in December 2025, reportedly about narcotics as they referred to drugs as “sodas,” “batteries” or “a couple of those,” the affidavit read.

“This (communication) can be a customer submitting a coded inquiry regarding the availability of the dealer to complete a sale, or the dealer altering customers and co-conspirators that drugs are available,” the court document stated.

About a month after this conversation, authorities noted Miller was also selling illegal drugs. On Jan. 8, law enforcement noticed someone drive up to her home. The driver was stopped by a Colorado State Patrol trooper, who found methamphetamine in the vehicle.

“The WCDTF and CBI believed this product had just come from Miller, as Hunsberger had just resupplied her,” the affidavit alleged. “This showed that Miller not only purchased illegal drugs for personal use, but for further distribution as well.”

Miller and Hunsberger were allegedly associated with David Zermeno, a Hotchkiss man who was arrested by the Colorado State Patrol in January after a traffic stop reportedly yielded 10 pounds of meth and half a pound of cocaine.

Miller is believed to be the go-between Hunsberger and an alleged dealer in Hotchkiss, who put them in contact with Zermeno, according to the affidavit.

Additionally, the pair was reportedly involved with Randy Martinez. He and Melissa Quintana were arrested in Grand County, Utah, in February for suspicion of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

Authorities recorded various interactions between Hunsberger and Miller in January and February. Narcotics were reportedly coming from Denver, Phoenix, Las Vegas, California and Mexico.

Miller said one at point that Hunsberger was “completely out of water (a slang term for meth),” claiming half of Grand Junction was freaking out because of it, the affidavit alleged.

However, in February, law enforcement found Miller was reportedly getting illegal drugs other than Hunsberger. In a call between the two, she told him, “their cookie is good,” and it’s “better than… what you have,” the court document read.

“This call was significant, as it showed Miller’s capability to obtain her own separate sources of supply, other than Hunsberger. Miller had again found another apparent significant source of supply from whom she could purchase a large quantity of illegal narcotics,” according to the affidavit.

But once Hunsberger was arrested in late February, Miller began believing she would be apprehended next. She reportedly said in a phone call she had a role dealing illegal drugs throughout Mesa County.

CBI agents later called her in early March to speak with her about her involvement with Hunsberger. She declined to speak with law enforcement, saying she wouldn’t talk unless a lawyer were present. Although the agents gave her the chance “to help herself out by cooperating with law enforcement,” Miller declined to speak, saying she wouldn’t talk unless a lawyer were present, the court document read.

Authorities, however, noted in the exchange she scoffed when an agent referred to her as “only a 2-to-4-ounce dealer” and she was “not a big fish.” She “sarcastically” commented on those two phrases, according to the affidavit.

“This was the only part of the conversation Miller seemed to have much of an emotional reaction to,” the court document alleged. “… Once (the special agent) stated she was only a small level dealer, her reaction seemed to indicate she believed that was inaccurate.”

Miller is due back in court for a status conference on Wednesday.