Fentanyl is a dangerous drug that's responsible for taking the lives of many people in Colorado. In mid-February, five adults were sadly found dead together in Westminster due to fentanyl overdoses.

Recently, a Weld Sheriff K9 Team assisted with a major fentanyl bust in Longmont, helping to keep this fatal drug from entering the Northern Colorado community.

According to the Weld County Sheriff's Office, 9.3 grams of the lethal drug was located during a traffic stop. At 5:35 p.m. on February 28, Weld deputies responded to the 300 block of Lashley Court in Longmont to perform an open-air sniff of a blue car driven by a known drug dealer.

During the sniff test, K9 Viper alerted to drugs being in the vehicle, giving Longmont police officers probable cause to search inside. Upon searching the suspect's car, police recovered a black container filled with counterfeit 30-milligram Oxycontin pills laced with fentanyl, also known as M30s. Officers later informed deputies they seized a total of 93 illegal pills during the stop.

There have been countless cases in Weld County and throughout Colorado where victims overdose on just one counterfeit pill laced with fentanyl. The synthetic opioid can be found in pills, pure powders, and is sometimes unknowingly mixed into other drugs like cocaine and heroin. Fentanyl can also be disguised to appear like another prescription drug, which was the case in this situation. Because it's impossible to determine if a drug contains fentanyl just by its look, smell, or taste, it's important to always test before you consume. This article explains how to do so in Colorado.

According to the DEA, drug traffickers typically distribute fentanyl by the kilogram. TheWeld County Sheriff's Office explains that illicit fentanyl is manufactured overseas and smuggled into the U.S. through Mexico.

Northern Colorado Law Enforcement K-9 Dogs

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