Colorado set a record for fentanyl pill seizures in 2023 and looks ready to break the record in 2024. A new report from New York University found that Colorado tied with New Mexico for the second-highest number of U.S. pill seizures in 2023 after the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Rocky Mountain Field Division confiscated 2.6 million fentanyl pills, a record high for the agency. DEA's David Olesky said the agency is seeing similar increases in fentanyl across the nation. Still, Colorado Newsline reports that the amounts seized in Colorado lately are more comparable to what border states have seen in prior years. Olesky said Interstate 25 and Interstate 70 have historically been two major drug-traffic corridors, with deliveries moving north and east frequently to and through the Denver metro area. He said the intended end destination for the pills seized varies in each case.
The NYU report details the differences between pill and powder confiscations growing in the U.S. between 2017 and 2023, noting that pills are quickly outpacing powder. It also said in 2023, 85% of all fentanyl pill seizures came from the West. The West also became the region with the most fentanyl seizures by weight. The report concluded that monitoring regional shifts can help inform prevention and public health response.
Addressing the rise of fentanyl is the DEA’s top priority, Olesky said. The agency said the synthetic opioid is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45. Olesky said it warrants an all-hands-on-deck approach through mental health interventions, community outreach and education in schools. The problem will only continue until the legal consequences of trafficking fentanyl are greater than the financial gain, he said. “(Not) until the deterrent effect of the judicial system outweighs the benefits of the tracking of these drugs will we start seeing a change,” Olesky said.
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