Denver, Colorado – Colorado is experiencing record fentanyl seizures, the Drug Enforcement Administration said, with some of the increase due to cartels expanding into new areas and distributing larger amounts of fentanyl.
Dave Olesky, a DEA spokesman and acting special agent in charge of the Rocky Mountain Field Office, said agents are conducting drug busts throughout Utah, Wyoming and Montana and are looking for further signs of cartel activity. He said he was reporting it.
Olesky explained that investigators have noticed that drugs typically associated with eastern Washington cartels are flowing into Montana.
“We’ve also seen local street gangs that are common in Detroit and the East Coast actually come into Montana and compete for territory, because the price per pill is much higher over there. Because of this,” Olesky added.
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The DEA’s Rocky Mountain Field Office set a new record for fentanyl seizures last year, confiscating more than 2.6 million pills in Colorado in 2023. (Drug Enforcement Agency)
The Rocky Mountain Field Office set a new fentanyl seizure record last year, confiscating more than 2.6 million pills in Colorado in 2023, and is already on track to surpass that number this year.
“The amount of fentanyl that we’re seeing in the Denver area right now was, up until two years ago, typical of one of the distribution cities in Phoenix, Los Angeles. But now it’s increasing exponentially in those cities. “In terms of the number and amount of fentanyl seized,” Oleski said, adding that 100,000 seizures are “sadly becoming the norm” in metro Denver.
The number of drug overdose deaths jumped from 8.2 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 32.6 per 100,000 people in 2022, according to the CDC. (Drug control administration)
According to a DEA report, 7 out of 10 illegal pills currently contain a lethal dose of fentanyl, and synthetic pills are cheaper to manufacture and more easily addictive, so there is no shortage of supply and demand.
Olesky said the people selling the pills don’t care whether the pills are safe or not, they just want to make money. He also said the DEA is investigating Chinese criminal organizations that are involved in the fentanyl crisis by helping cartels produce cheap fentanyl.
“Mexican drug lords can produce this just as easily as a Mexican superlab or garage,” Olesky said.
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According to the DEA, as of fall 2023, only about half of illegal pills contained lethal doses of fentanyl; now, nearly 70% of illegal pills contain lethal amounts of fentanyl. (Drug Enforcement Agency)
Teller County, Colo., Sheriff Jason Mikesell said the migrant crisis at the southern border continues to ramp up in Colorado, despite efforts by the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection to stop fentanyl from entering the country. He said he believes this is contributing to the sudden increase in fentanyl.
“Why is there such a spike in fentanyl use in Colorado? We’re 10 hours from El Paso. They’re probably coming here as a place to house them,” Mikesell said. said.
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Meanwhile, Olesky believes multiple factors led to the surge.
“Certainly there’s a boundary part to this, but then there’s also the outreach and education part,” Olesky said.
Because the pills can be well disguised and sometimes come in brightly colored packaging to attract children, I think one of the best ways to prevent fentanyl addiction is to talk about fentanyl addiction and its dangers. Mr. Ski said.
The DEA warned that cartels are selling colorful fentanyl pills that could attract children. (Drug Enforcement Agency)
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According to the CDC, drug overdoses, primarily caused by fentanyl, are the leading cause of death among adults ages 18 to 45.
The agency reports that from 2000 to 2022, the drug overdose death rate nearly quadrupled, from 8.2 to 32.6 per 100,000 people.
