fentanyl
-
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…
-
Colorado Supreme Court to hear murder, noise pollution, fentanyl cases
—
by
The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday it will decide whether a man can be tried a second time for murder after jurors rendered a verdict that made no sense if they had followed their instructions. At least three of the seven justices must agree to hear a case on appeal. The court also elected…
-
Study: Fentanyl-related deaths cost Colorado estimated $16 billion last year
—
by
It only takes 2 milligrams of fentanyl to be fatal. A record 425.6 kilograms of fentanyl — enough to kill the state’s population between 16* and 26 times over, depending on the purity of the drugs — was seized in Colorado in 2023 by the Drug Enforcement Administration Rocky Mountain Field Division. That year, Colorado saw…
