Recently, there were significant drug seizures in Colorado Springs and New Mexico as a result of a tip.
The DEA provided the public with case specifics in a news release on Monday. The federal law enforcement organization said that while riding a bus from New Mexico to Denver, someone saw two individuals acting strangely.
According to a portion of the DEA news release, “the men became nervous and one fled – but left behind two large suitcases. The Albuquerque Police Department responded and seized the two abandoned suitcases. A search warrant for the suitcases resulted in the seizure of approximately 330,000 fake pills and two ounces of heroin.”
The Denver-bound bus was reported to the Colorado Springs DEA office, which arrested the second man inside the city limits.
A K9 from the Colorado Springs Police Department was used and found marijuana in the man’s bag and two sizable luggage. Some 340,000 additional “fake pills” and several thousand dollars in cash were confiscated.
“This is a prime example of see something, say something,” DEA’s Pullen stated”As a result, 670,000 fake pills are now off the streets of Colorado and New Mexico.”
In their news release, the DEA simply mentioned that the suspect was a fugitive Denver resident wanted on drug trafficking warrants; they did not publicly identify him.
“The 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office is grateful for the dedicated efforts of our law enforcement agencies as they work to clear drugs off the streets and for their partnership in holding offenders accountable,” 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen stated. “The deadly impact of fentanyl is a clear threat to our community and this incident makes plain our steadfast resolve to hold fentanyl death-dealers accountable.”
According to the DEA’s news release, the 670,000 counterfeit pills that were confiscated account for around 25% of all pill seizures in Colorado in 2023.
DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen stated, “The number of fentanyl pills seized in this case is almost enough to give every resident in the city of Denver one fake pill.”
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“Removing fentanyl from our community continues to be a matter of life and death. Fentanyl is an epidemic that has deep effect in communities across our country and claims innocent lives daily,” Police Chief Adrian Vasquez of the Colorado Springs Police Department stated. “Seizures of this size are only possible with the collaborative work with our partner agencies on the DEA Task Force and community members who are courageous enough to do something about it.”
