DENVER -- Authorities broke up an aggressive northern Colorado drug ring that shipped methamphetamine from California hidden in an Elmo doll and other toys, drug enforcement agents said Wednesday.

The alleged ringleader was among 19 people in custody, authorities said. Agents said they seized more than 45 pounds of what they described as high-quality methamphetamine worth $864,000 wholesale. They said it was the equivalent of 4 million doses.

U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said the alleged ringleader, Rigoverto Valle-Sierra, was arrested Tuesday in Greeley after a yearlong investigation.

Officials released photos of an Elmo doll found in a car in Barstow, Calif., with a caption saying 4 pounds of methamphetamine was found inside. Eid said he could not discuss what happened because the doll was evidence in the case.

Other photos showed drugs shipped in a suitcase and tucked inside a tire.

Jeffrey D. Sweetin, special agent in charge of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration's Rocky Mountain Region, said Valle-Sierra was working with about five methamphetamine rings and was trying to become the sole supplier of the drug in northern Colorado.

Sweetin said the operation was selling methamphetamine that was about 99 percent pure, while most methamphetamine sold on the street is about 30 to 40 percent pure.

Valle-Sierra allegedly worked with dealers in Las Vegas, Kimball, Neb., Cheyenne, Wyo., as well as Barstow, and some methamphetamine from the ring reached Roanoke, Va.

"I've never seen a meth arrest have more impact than this one," Sweetin said.

Officials the operation used night-vision goggles, bulletproof vests and closed-circuit television to help secure their operation.

Sweetin said agents believe Valle-Sierra bought methamphetamine in the Los Angeles area but it was probably made in a large lab outside the United States, likely in Mexico. The California investigation was continuing, he said.

Of the 21 people named in a federal indictment in the case, 12 are suspected illegal immigrants, Eid said. Two suspects are still at large.