Local and federal authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of more than 100 individuals and the seizure of more than 220 pounds of illicit narcotics as Colorado steps up its battle against the deadly opioid epidemic.
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“Operation Overdose Intercept,” a 10-week initiative led by the Denver Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Denver District Attorney’s Office, resulted in 112 sting operations, 223 pounds of drugs seized, 23 guns confiscated and 107 arrests, Mayor Mike Johnston said during a news conference.
“The most dangerous things in Denver right now are not guns. They are not speeding cars; they are little blue pills of fentanyl, and it’s not even close,” Johnston said, noting that nearly 350 people in Denver have died from drug overdoses over the past year.
“This is an absolute crisis facing the city, and we have to take aggressive action,” the mayor said.
Every pill seized during this operation has the potential to save a life, said Mark Putnam, the special agent in charge of the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Field Division.
“This delivers a stunning blow to those who seek to profit from the business of poisoning our communities, our people, our children,” he said.
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Denver has recorded 2,360 non-fatal overdoses in 2026, with 232 suspected deaths, according to city data. Of those deaths, 158 have been from fentanyl. People of color are far more likely to suffer a drug overdose in Denver than white individuals.
Colorado voters next month will decide whether to drastically increase penalties for those possessing fentanyl. Proposition 132, backed by a group of conservative organizations, would mandate prison time for people convicted of distributing any amount of fentanyl, make it a felony to possess any amount of the drug and limit the discretion judges have to adjust punishment based on the facts of each case.
Criminal justice advocates say the ballot measure would result in ballooning prison populations, more overdose deaths and hundreds of millions of dollars in additional state expenses.
Johnston, Denver police Chief Ron Thomas and Denver District Attorney John Walsh all said Thursday that they do not support Prop 132, noting the measure increases costs but comes with no funding mechanism.
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