DENVER — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday announced it had arrested more than 200 immigrants during a 9-day operation that spanned the Denver metro area.

Between July 12 and July 20, the agency said it arrested 243 people who are “currently charged with or have been convicted of criminal offenses after illegally entering the United States.” Of those, 50 are reportedly subject to removal orders.

“This operation highlights our unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our communities,” said Robert Guadian, director of enforcement and removal operations for ICE’s Denver field office, in a statement. “By partnering with federal agencies, we have successfully apprehended individuals who pose a significant threat to public safety. We will continue to work diligently to combat crime and uphold the rule of law. Many of the criminal aliens ICE arrested during this operation had been previously released into the Denver metro area by local county jails — directly into the community — because of Colorado’s sanctuary laws that prevent Sheriffs from cooperating with ICE.”

In its announcement, ICE provided an “at-a-glance criminality,” outlining the number of people arrested for certain crimes:

• DUI: 17
• Theft (including burglary, robbery and motor vehicle theft): 8
• Assault (including aggravated assault and domestic violence): 13
• Drug offenses (including distribution of fentanyl): 9
• Sex offenses (including sex assault and sexual exploitation of a minor): 5
• Homicide (including murder and vehicular manslaughter): 2
• Human trafficking: 1

Other crimes included “criminal impersonation, carrying a concealed weapon, false reporting, child cruelty, intimidation, hit-and-run, illegal entry and illegal reentry,” according to ICE

The agency said some of the people arrested are suspected or current members of gangs, including Los Zetas (1), Tren de Aragua (4), the Sinaloa Cartel (1) and “other organizations” (3).

ICE said it worked with several law enforcement partners during the operation, including Homeland Security Investigations Denver, US Customs and Border Protection, the DEA, the ATF, the FBI and the IRS.

Denver7 reached out to the ICE Denver office for an interview about the operation. Our request was declined because leadership was “out of town.”

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story said 243 “undocumented immigrants” were arrested. Denver7 was unable to verify the immigration status of those arrested and, therefore, changed our report to say 243 “immigrants” were arrested.

A Denver man was sentenced Friday to 48 years in prison for the murder of a 14-year-old boy in 2022, according to court records.

Denver District Court Judge Karen Brody sentenced Diego Lopez, 19, on Friday to 48 years in prison, with a credit of two years and 293 days for time served, court records show.

Lopez was 16 years old when he shot Josiaz “JoJo” Aragon in the back and then pistol-whipped, beat and stabbed the 14-year-old. Aragon was days away from celebrating his 15th birthday.

Lopez was also ordered to pay $10,000 to Aragon’s family during Friday’s sentencing hearing, according to court records.

Aragon’s body was found at a baseball field near Denver’s Southwest Recreation Center on Aug. 8, 2022.

The two teenagers knew each other from school and had met at the baseball field for a gun sale, police said. Lopez shot Aragon in the back after they made the deal.

The 26th annual Donor Dash takes place this weekend in Denver, and among the participants will be a Coloradan whose life was changed drastically by transplantation.

A dozen years ago Doug French, 74, was struggling with burning eyes and swelling. He was living with hepatitis C.

“It didn’t stop me, but it surely slowed me down,” he said.

While he was holding out hope the newer treatments would assist with his situation, French went to meet with the hepatologist.

“He said, ‘If you don’t get a transplant, you won’t survive.’ And I went, ‘Oh, I see. I got this.’ That changed everything.”

French was living in Colorado at the time and was put on a transplant list in Oregon. So he and his wife moved temporarily to Portland and lived in a hotel for four months before he got the call they were hoping for. A recently deceased organ donor had a liver that was a match.

“Waking up from that transplant was a miracle. For the first time in years, my eyes weren’t burning from hepatitis C,” French said.

French recently celebrated 10 years since receiving his new organ, and with his body functioning at a higher level, he has lost 110 pounds.

He has always been an avid scuba diver, and in addition to making it easier for him to do one of his favorite hobbies, his new liver has allowed him to take other activity levels to new lengths. He completed his first half marathon in April. That was something he wasn’t even thinking about prior to his transplant.

“Was it even on the back of your mind: ‘One day I’m going to do a half marathon?’” CBS Colorado’s Michael Spencer asked French.

“Oh no, no, no,” said French, who jogged with his nephew-in-law. “During that particular time, I kind of like draw a blank about my life and about my future. I had no idea what was next. It saved me. And I’ve I can’t say enough about how grateful I am,” he said.

The Donor Dash takes place on Sunday at Washington Park. CBS Colorado is a sponsor of the event and Spencer serve as the emcee of the event. Find out how you can register for the event or help the Donor Alliance at donoralliance.org/donor-dash/.