(EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.) — A staff sergeant stationed at Fort Carson who was arrested after an illegal underground nightclub was busted in April 2025 was “administratively separated… and is no longer in service,” according to a Fort Carson official.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Fort Carson soldier allegedly sold cocaine to undercover DEA agent
Juan Orona-Rodriguez was a Staff Sergeant in the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at the time that he was arrested on May 1, days after the illegal underground nightclub was busted in Colorado Springs.
In the early morning hours of Sunday, April 27, with the help of 300 law enforcement personnel representing 10 other federal agencies and local partners, including the Colorado Springs Police Department and the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Rocky Mountain Field Division led the illegal underground nightclub operation, which took place near South Academy Boulevard and Airport Road.
According to a Fort Carson official, “Juan Orona-Rodriguez was administratively separated in December 2025 and is no longer in service. No other service member was arrested in connection to the incident.”
“My undercover agents are incredibly brave”: DEA RMFD on what led up to underground nightclub operation in Colorado Springs
According to court documents, Orona-Rodriguez is facing one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. Orona-Rodriguez is expected to appear in court for a hearing on April 15, 2026, with the jury trial set to start on April 20…