Arvada Man Indicted On Charges Related To Manufacture Of ‘Bath Salts’

DENVER - The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado announces that Nicholas T. Benevento, also known as Derrick Jones, 44, of Arvada, was indicted on one count of knowingly manufacturing and possessing with the intent to distribute a substance containing alpha-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone (alpha-PVP) near a playground, and one count of maintaining a drug house to manufacture alpha-PVP. This illegal substance is more commonly known by the name 'bath salts.'

According to the indictment, from approximately April 2025 to October 2025, Benevento purchased precursor chemicals used in the manufacture of alpha-PVP and had them shipped to himself at several addresses across Colorado and Utah. The indictment also alleges that on or about November 10, 2025, Benevento manufactured alpha-PVP at his apartment on Ralston Road in Arvada, which was located within 1,000 feet of the Ralston Central Park and Splash Pad. The manufacture of alpha-PVP resulted in and created a toxic fume smell and combustible gas emanating from the apartment.

The charges contained in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is handling the investigation.

Assistant United States Attorney Amanda R. Scott is handling the prosecution.

Case Number: 26-CR-00041-SKC