DEA Rocky Mountain Office Seizes Record Fentanyl Pills and Meth in 2025
The DEA’s Rocky Mountain Field Division says it seized 8,729,000 fentanyl pills and nearly 3,100 pounds of methamphetamine across Colorado, Utah, Montana and Wyoming in 2025, with officials attributing most of the supply to Mexico’s Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels moving drugs through the southern border into hubs like Denver and Salt Lake City. Colorado recorded its largest meth bust in April — 733 pounds — and its largest one‑time seizure of fentanyl pills in November at 1.7 million pills, which DEA called the sixth‑largest such pill seizure in U.S. history. Special Agent in Charge David Olesky warned the numbers are “absolutely staggering,” noting Colorado’s fentanyl pill seizures rose 76% year‑over‑year and Utah’s pill seizures doubled, and he framed the trend as a “jolt” for residents who may not see themselves as living near the border. Assistant Special Agent in Charge Cesar Avila said the cartels now have a presence in “most, if not all” Wyoming communities and described how bulk loads move north in tractor‑trailers before being broken down and moved by individual drivers and mail shipments. The article also notes that the Trump administration has escalated its declared war on fentanyl with military strikes on suspected smuggling boats and tariff pressure on Mexico and China, while DEA figures already show more than 239,000 fentanyl pills and 10,000 meth pills seized in the region in early 2026.
📌 Key Facts
- DEA reports seizing 8,729,000 fentanyl pills and nearly 3,100 pounds of methamphetamine in 2025 in Colorado, Utah, Montana and Wyoming.
- Colorado saw a 76% increase in fentanyl pill seizures year‑over‑year and recorded a 733‑pound meth bust in April and a 1.7‑million‑pill fentanyl bust in November, one of the largest pill seizures in U.S. history.
- DEA officials say most of the drugs are funneled by Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartel networks through cities like Denver and Salt Lake City into smaller Rocky Mountain communities, including across Wyoming.
- So far in 2026, DEA has already seized more than 239,000 fentanyl pills and 10,000 methamphetamine pills in the four‑state Rocky Mountain region.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2023, the fentanyl overdose death rate for Black Americans was 35.0 per 100,000 people, which is over 50% higher than the national average of 22.7 per 100,000.
Genetic factors account for 38%–61% of the population variability in opioid addiction based on twin studies, with SNP-based heritability estimates of 11%–18%.
An emerging multi-omic understanding of the genetics of opioid addiction — Journal of Clinical Investigation
More than 90% of interdicted fentanyl is stopped at Ports of Entry, primarily in vehicles driven by U.S. citizens.
Frontline Against Fentanyl — U.S. Customs and Border Protection
In Colorado, the foreign-born population was 563,101 in 2023, representing 9.6% of the state population, with 51.6% originating from Latin America, including 207,613 from Mexico.
State Demographics Data - CO — Migration Policy Institute
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
"The WSJ opinion cites a new study linking pandemic cash handouts to higher overdose deaths and argues political unwillingness to confront that demand-side effect has steered policymakers toward supply-side fixes rather than addressing how emergency fiscal policy may have worsened the drug crisis."
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