Undercover detectives catch 2 drug dealers

An undercover operation led to the arrest of two people on Wednesday afternoon in the parking lot of the Costco on N Nevada Ave.

Detectives assigned to the Metro VNI 50’s Street Impact Team made arrangements to purchase 200 Ecstasy pills.

During the operation, they were able to arrest two men for distributing a schedule 1 controlled substance. Stephen Woolwine and Matthew Eckert were arrested with the help of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team.

A witness told KRDO NewsChannel 13 that there was a loud bang just before 5:30 p.m. in the parking lot and officers surrounded at least three cars. Young men and one woman were pulled from those cars and handcuffed. The young female was eventually released but the men were taken away in Colorado Springs Police cars.

Another witness said she saw at least four SWAT officers just before the “flash bang” incident at the Sunset Creek apartment complex less than a block away. When she asked police what they were doing in the area they reportedly answered, “just protection.”

Matthew Eckert

Stephen Woolwine