An unpaid storage unit in the south Denver suburb of Highlands Ranch became the unlikely site of a record for state officials.
The unit had been put to auction, and when the new owner entered the unit he thought might be filled with just someone’s old stuff, he found himself surrounded by a record amount of illicit drugs, which included 1.7 million fentanyl pills.
It’s the largest single seizure of fentanyl in Colorado and the sixth largest in the nation, officials said Monday.
“While there are countless captivating storylines that I don't doubt will be generated by this fentanyl seizure from its record-breaking amount to a made-for-TV episode of Storage Wars, the bottom line is this seizure represents countless lives saved,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent David Olesky.
It was a Colorado Bureau of Investigation operation that led to the unpaid storage unit and the discovery of the massive amount of drugs.
In April, CBI had identified and wiretapped a drug trafficking organization linked to the Sinaloa cartel that was funneling drugs into Colorado. That investigation led to multiple arrests. One of the people arrested in the operation was the owner of the unit.
“While we are limited in what we can say related to the specific investigation,” Olesky said. “Know that DEA is relentlessly pursuing the Sinaloa cartel and working towards their elimination. We have identified an individual associated with a storage locker who is part of the organization … the fact the individual has been in custody for the past six to seven months in part corroborates why this storage locker had gone to auction.”
Authorities have not released the suspect’s identity, as he is actively going through criminal proceedings, Olesky said.
All told, authorities found 198 kilograms of fentanyl — roughly 1.7 million pills — in addition to 12 kilograms of fentanyl powder and 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine inside the storage unit.
“This reporting party undoubtedly saved countless lives not only in Douglas County, but throughout Colorado and likely throughout our nation,” said Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly. “We are dedicated to this crisis. Fentanyl and illegal illicit narcotics will not be tolerated in our communities.”
Fentanyl is the leading cause of death nationally for adults ages 18 to 45, Olesky said. Two milligrams of fentanyl is considered a lethal dose, he said.
“This seizure represents thousands of lives saved. It is also indicative that the Mexican cartels continue to traffic significant quantities of fentanyl to Colorado,” Olesky said. “Had this fentanyl hit the streets, numerous lives could have been lost.”
