Colorado
Fentanyl seizures surge in Colorado as cartels spread to new regions, DEA says
DENVER, Colo. – Colorado is experiencing record seizures of fentanyl, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, who attributed some of the rise to cartels spreading into new regions and distributing larger volumes of the drug.
DEA spokesman Dave Olesky, who is also the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Rocky Mountain Field Division, said his investigators conduct drug busts across Utah, Wyoming and Montana and are reporting more signs of cartel activity.
Olesky explained that agents have noticed drugs typically associated with cartels in eastern Washington coming into the state of Montana.
“We have also seen local street gangs that might be more common in Detroit and the East Coast actually coming into the state of Montana to compete for that territory because the price per pill is so much higher up there,” Olesky added.
OPINION: LET’S USE AI TO STOP FENTANYL AT THE BORDER AND KEEP IT FROM KILLING AMERICANS
The DEA’s Rocky Mountain Field Division broke its fentanyl seizure record last year, confiscating more than 2.6 million pills in Colorado in 2023. (Drug Enforcement Administration)
The Rocky Mountain Field Division broke its fentanyl seizure record last year, confiscating more than 2.6 million pills in Colorado in 2023, and this year is already on track to surpass that number.
“Quantities of fentanyl that we are seeing now in the Denver area, they used to be, two years ago, typically what you might see in one of the distribution cities down in Phoenix, Los Angeles. But nowadays, those cities are seeing exponential increases in terms of the number of and quantities of fentanyl being seized,” Olesky said, adding that 100,000 quantity seizures are “sadly becoming the norm” in the Denver metro.
Drug overdose deaths have spiked from 8.2 per 100,000 people in the year 2000 to 32.6 per 100,000 in 2022, per the CDC. (Drug Enfrocement Administration)
Seven out of every 10 illicit pills now contain a deadly dose of fentanyl, the DEA reported, and because the synthetic pills are cheap to make and easy to become addicted to, there is no shortage of supply and demand.
Olesky said the people selling the pills don’t care if they are safe, only that they make money. He also said the DEA is investigating criminal organizations in China that play a role in the fentanyl crisis by helping cartels produce the drug for cheap.
“The Mexican drug trafficking organizations are able to produce this as simply as whether it’s a super lab or a garage in Mexico,” Olesky said.
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In fall 2023, only about half of illicit pills contained a deadly dose of fentanyl – now it’s nearly 70% of illicit pills, according to the DEA. (Drug Enforcement Administration)
Jason Mikesell, the sheriff in Teller County, Colorado, said he believes the migrant crisis at the southern border has contributed to the fentanyl surge in Colorado despite the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection trying to stop the drug from entering the country.
“Why do we see such a huge rise in Colorado with fentanyl? We are 10 hours from El Paso. They are coming here as a place that’s supposedly going to house them,” Mikesell said.
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Olesky, on the other hand, believes multiple factors have led to the surge.
“Certainly there is a border piece to this, but then there’s also got to be the outreach piece, the education piece,” Olesky said.
Since the pills can be disguised well, sometimes even packaged in bright colors to attract children, Olesky said one of the best ways to prevent fentanyl poisoning is to talk about it and its dangers.
The DEA warned that cartels sell multicolored fentanyl pills, which can attract children. (Drug Enforcement Administration)
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Drug overdoses, largely driven by fentanyl, are the leading cause of death for adults ages 18 to 45, according to the CDC.
From the year 2000 to 2022, the rate of drug overdose deaths nearly quadrupled from 8.2 per 100,000 people to 32.6 per 100,000, the agency reported.
2026 Colorado Activities Association Boys 4A State Swimming and Diving Championships
- May 8-9, 2026
- Thornton, CO
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
A year after winning its first- ever state title, Monarch High School stayed on top at the Colorado Activities Association Boys 4A State Swimming and Diving Championships.
Monarch successfully defended its title, earning 355.5 points to outlast runner-up JK Mullen, which came in with 344 points. Glenwood Springs was third at 340.5.
“It was nerve-wracking,” senior Tobin Howe said to the CHSAA site. “We were about halfway through the meet and going into finals we knew if we kept our seed places, we had enough points to win. Mullen was doing really well and I was a bit nervous. I was thinking it might come down to the last event. It almost did, but we pulled through.”
Howe, a Washington University commit, was the leading point-getter for Monarch, claiming individual titles in the 200 IM (personal best 1:51.67) and the 100 breast (55.32).
The other individual standout was Cheyenne Mountain senior Barrett Kerrigan, an Air Force commit. Kerrigan won the 200 free in a personal best time of 1:40.46 and repeated as champion in the 500 free with a time of 4:36.79.
Glenwood Springs won two of the three relays, first claiming the 200 medley in a time of 1:31.78 behind the team of Breck Boyd (22.47), Brian Molloy (25.74), Andrew Molloy (22.79) and Tyson Boyd (20.78).
In the 200 free relay, the Glenwood Springs team of B. Boyd (20.64), Molloy (20.94), Tennyson Sipes (21.96) and T. Boyd (20.64) won in a time of 1:24.18.
The 400 free relay was captured by JK Mullen in 3:07.12 behind the team of Oscar Valdez (47.25), Asher Howe (46.58), Sam Lombardo (48.93) and Thomas Bradac (44.36).
Other individual winners were:
- Bradac, a TCU commit and senior at JK Mullen, won the 50 free in 20.21.
- Evergreen senior Henry Palmquist won the 1-meter diving event with 621.15 points.
- Monarch junior Isaac Skillern captured the 100 fly in a time of 50.11.
- Mountain View senior JJ Phillips, a George Washington commit, won the 100 free in a personal best time of 44.42.
- Breck Boyd, a UC-Santa Barbara commit, won the 100 back in a time of 49.92 after taking 2nd in the event last year.
Team Standings — Top 5
- Monarch, 355.5
- JK Mullen 344
- Glenwood Springs, 340.5
- Littleton, 221.5
- Mountain View, 216
Colorado football made another splash on the class of 2027 recruiting trail Tuesday, landing a commitment from three-star edge rusher Ba’Roc Willis.
Willis, a former Alabama commit, is coming off an official visit this past weekend and clearly came away impressed, announcing his decision just days after. 247Sports ranks the pass rusher as the No. 581 overall player in the class of 2027, the No. 48 linebacker and No. 22 player from Alabama.
Colorado got off to a slow start with the class of 2027, but has picked it up over the last few months. Four-star quarterback Andre Adams joined in April, as did three-star offensive lineman Kenny Fairley. It is still early, but the program has started to pick up steam with its 2027 recruiting class as the summer recruiting season nears.
After Willis, here is where the Buffaloes’ class of 2027 now ranks nationally.
Colorado football updated class of 2027 recruiting ranking after Ba’Roc Willis’ commitment
- On3: No. 45 overall, No. 6 Big 12
- 247Sports: No. 62 overall, No. 10 Big 12
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