Denver Metro Area Loses Another Child To Suspected Fentanyl Overdose
(CBS4) - Another Colorado family and community is mourning the loss of a teenager reportedly at the hands of fentanyl. A 17-year-old boy's body in Highlands Ranch was found in his home last week.
Another teenager, a 16-year-old girl, died in Lakewood less than a week prior. Fentanyl is believed to be the cause.
In 2021, the DEA's Denver division alone took roughly 1.1 million counterfeit pills off the streets. We are less than halfway through 2022, and he says they have already reached 900,000.
Brian Besser, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Denver Field Division, recently sat down with CBS4's Karen Morfitt. He says fentanyl is synthetic and can be made cheaply without attracting a lot of attention.
He says there's a reason why Denver and Colorado is experiencing such a high death rate.
RELATED: 1-Year-Old Colorado Girl Dies After Parents Allegedly Used, Sold Fentanyl In Their Home
"We are the crossroads of the west, so you can get to a lot of different areas just through the interstate pipelines that run north and south and east and west through Denver," Besser said. "Denver is a critical spot for transnational criminal networks because they know they can drop their poison here and get it to all points."
The DEA has launched its "One Pill Can Kill" campaign, with a large focus on educating families about the risks surrounding fentanyl and include several resources for parents.
RESOURCES: Colorado's Substance Use Prevention Services | Colorado Crisis Services | 1-844-493-TALK
