DENVER — The Rocky Mountain division of the Drug Enforcement Agency says they have finished operations on a fake fentanyl seizure operation that was highly successful.
Between June 7 and June 14, the agency says they seized around 570,000 fake fentanyl pills. A staggering amount as that one-week total represents roughly 22% of all fentanyl of pill seizures in Colorado in 2023 according to the agency.
2023 was already a record year for the agency as 2.61 million fentanyl pills were seized. In El Paso County, fentanyl was a concern for public health officials in 2023.
Fentanyl a concern for public health leaders in El Paso County in 2023
“The total number of pills seized so far this month proves the Mexican drug cartels are not slowing down production and distribution of this poison as we head into the summer months,” said DEA RMFD Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen. “Every day the men and women of DEA and our partner agencies are working hard to get fake fentanyl pills of the streets.”
The operation intercepted three shipments of pills in Colorado during the bust. At the beginning of June, the agency was encouraging parents to talk with their children about the dangers of fentanyl as students got out for summer break.
In May, a documentary highlighting the ongoing fentanyl crisis premiered in Colorado highlighting the dangers and speaking with people who have become addicted to or lost loved ones because of the drug.
Documentary focuses on fentanyl and its effects in Colorado
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