Authorities in Colorado announced the “shocking discovery” of 1.7 million counterfeit fentanyl pills in an auctioned-off storage unit — the largest drug bust of its kind in state history.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said the record-breaking seizure happened on Nov. 11 in the Denver suburb of Highlands Ranch after the winning bidder opened up the unit, “found multiple items that appeared to be illegal narcotics” and “immediately notified” deputies.
“This played out like an episode of a TV show, where a winning bidder legally bought a storage unit and unbeknownst to them, the unit contained 1.7 million counterfeit fentanyl pills and another 12 kilograms of fentanyl powder,” Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Rocky Mountain Field Division Special Agent in Charge David Oleskysaid in a statement. “There is no doubt many lives have been saved by keeping these poison pills off the streets of Colorado.”
The DEA added that, “This is the largest one-time seizure of counterfeit pills in Colorado history, and the sixth-largest, single seizure of suspected fentanyl pills in United States history.”
Body camera footage released by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office showed deputies lifting the lid of a storage container to reveal the drugs.
“That is an absolute metric s— ton of fentanyl,” one of the deputies said. “I got a very unique situation here.”
Following testing, the sheriff’s office confirmed that deputies found 198 kilograms of counterfeit fentanyl pills, 12 kilograms of fentanyl powder and 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine.
“I want to thank the citizen who reported this discovery, the storage facility staff for their cooperation, and the deputies who responded quickly and professionally,” Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said. “Let me send a strong and unmistakable message: fentanyl and illegal narcotics will not be tolerated in Douglas County. Our deputies, detectives, and crime lab professionals are committed to keeping this community safe, and we will remain relentless in that mission.”
The sheriff’s office, which called the find a “shocking discovery,” also said, “The original owner of the storage unit had been taken into custody by the DEA in April, which resulted in the unit going unpaid and eventually being auctioned off.”
“I want to thank everyone who helped us with the largest successful fentanyl seizure in Colorado history,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement. “Getting more of this deadly drug off the streets saves lives. In Colorado, we are cracking down on crime, apprehending dangerous criminals, and keeping our communities safe. I thank the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and our federal partners for working with us to get criminals off of Colorado streets, out of our communities, and ensure Coloradans and families are safe.”
