fentanyl
-
Demand action to stop fentanyl deaths — No. 1 killer of Americans aged 18-45 | OPINION
—
by
By Kim Haarberg It took me about an hour to write this. And in that time, 10 people in the United States died from fentanyl overdoses. That’s 10 sons, daughters, parents and friends gone because of a counterfeit tablet laced with fentanyl. 10 people every hour — day and night, week after week, month after…
-
Colorado governor insists local officers can work with DEA agents amid non-cooperation law
—
by
Gov. Jared Polis on Friday insisted that local law enforcement officers in Colorado can — and should — work with federal drug enforcement authorities to go after criminal activity. An official of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency earlier said Colorado’s “sanctuary” laws, notably its prohibition against cooperating with federal authorities on illegal immigration matters, are…
-
Rocky Mountain region saw record fentanyl pill, meth seizures in 2025, DEA says
—
by
The Rocky Mountain region saw record-breaking amounts of fentanyl pills and methamphetamines seized in 2025, officials with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said Wednesday. Throughout last year, Colorado saw a 76% increase in fentanyl pill seizures in comparison to the year before, which accounted for 6.7 million, or over 14%, of the 47 million…
-
Divided 10th Circuit orders pretrial release of defendant facing drug charges
—
by
The Denver-based federal appeals court overturned a judge’s order keeping a defendant in custody pending trial on Friday, ruling 2-1 that she was entitled to release under the law. Erika Esmeralda Garcia stands accused of two charges related to the possession and distribution of fentanyl, plus a charge for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Previously,…
-
Douglas County police, DEA find record-breaking amount of fentanyl in storage unit
—
by
A Douglas County man got more than he bargained for when purchasing an abandoned storage unit last week — nearly 2 million fentanyl pills. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, along with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Rocky Mountain Field Division (RMFD) and Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), seized a record-breaking amount of fake fentanyl pills…
-
Appeals court finds Denver jury convicted man for possessing more fentanyl than evidence showed
—
by
Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday concluded a Denver jury convicted a defendant of a felony for possessing more than four grams of an illegal substance when the evidence actually showed it was not close to even one gram. At his 2023 trial, a jury convicted Cesar Noel Garcia for misdemeanor possession of methamphetamine and felony…
-
El Paso County Coroner warns of drug 100 times stronger than fentanyl
—
by
A person who died in August in Colorado Springs is the first known instance in El Paso County of a case involving carfentanil without fentanyl, according to a news release by the county’s coroner. Carfentanil is a powerful synthetic opioid used to sedate large animals like elephants. The drug is 100 times more potent than…
-
Appeals court overturns Adams County drug convictions due to unconstitutional police conduct
—
by
Colorado’s second-highest court overturned a man’s drug convictions and 25-year prison sentence on Thursday after concluding two Northglenn police officers unconstitutionally transformed a traffic stop into a drug investigation without reasonable suspicion of a crime. Clifton E. McRae, who was originally stopped for making an illegal turn, repeatedly declined to consent to a search of…
-
Colorado justices, 5-2, rule jury may consider victim’s suicidality in fentanyl distribution case
—
by
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a 2022 state law allows jurors to hear about a victim’s suicidal intentions when determining if a defendant is guilty of selling fentanyl and causing the victim’s death. The justices interpreted for the first time a relatively new law imposing harsher penalties for those who distribute the synthetic opioid…
-
Appeals court orders new child abuse trial after defense lawyer overrode client, admitted guilt
—
by
A man serving 28 years for child abuse will receive a new trial, Colorado’s second-highest court ruled on Thursday, because the defense attorney overrode his client’s wishes and told the jury the defendant was guilty in the overdose death of his son. After a mistrial, a second trial resulted in jurors convicting Joenny Manuel Astacio…
