Latest news with #RockyMountainFieldDivision
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
DEA warns parents about fentanyl dangers amid spring break season
(COLORADO) — With the warmer weather and vacation season well underway, the Drug Enforcement Administration's Rocky Mountain Field Division (DEA RMFD) is once again reminding parents to speak with their kids about the real threats of fentanyl. Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen of the DEA RMFD spoke with FOX21 News about the hard conversations parents need to have with their kids about the dangers of drug abuse. 'The scary thing now is that the biggest threat in our community is not someone shooting a needle of heroin in their arm, it's that they're taking a pill,' Pullen said, 'and we teach our kids to take pills, so parents have to have this really hard conversation with their kids about being aware.' Pullen said spring break brings an extra layer of concern. 'High school kids and college kids like to go on vacation for spring break; maybe they go to Mexico, maybe they go to Florida; kids take risks when they go and they are away from their parents,' he said. DEA's Rocky Mountain Field Division on drug overdose deaths in the state Pullen added that fentanyl does not take a vacation. 'It's still going to be deadly, it's still going to be out there, and parents need to have this conversation with their high schoolers and with their college kids to not ingest any substance that they don't know what it is,' he said. 'Never take a pill that you think is medicine if it didn't come from your doctor or pharmacist.' Pullen said parents need to understand that the threat is real and it's out there, and that these criminal groups are targeting young people. 'The cartels have intelligence networks just like government agencies do, right? So, they watch the news, they pay attention to the trends, and they move drugs around the countries, to places where they know it's going to sell,' he said. 'They are a multi-billion-dollar a year business; all they care about is greed; they don't care about if people live or die, they just care about the money they are going to make.' This weekend, an hour-long Nexstar special titled 'The Next Generation: Breaking Fentanyl's Grip' will air on FOX21 and SOCO CW. The special will focus on five families impacted by fentanyl; you can watch it on Sunday, March 30, at 5 p.m. on FOX21 and then at 9 p.m. on SOCO CW. The DEA also has several resources for families, including drug education information for parents, educators, and caregivers to help 'identify drug use, drug paraphernalia, warning signs of drug use, and the harmful side effects of the most commonly used drugs.' For more information, search Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
13-02-2025
- CBS News
Drug Enforcement Administration says "Top Ten" arrests are now in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody
The Drug Enforcement Administration is working with other federal agencies on immigration enforcement in Colorado. In the last 2.5 weeks, the DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division has made over 90 arrests. Some of the suspects were involved in trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine, while others had committed violent offenses both in the U.S. and in their home countries. The DEA provided a list of "Top Ten" arrested suspects who are now in ICE custody. They're from several countries including Honduras, Cuba, El Salvador and Venezuela. Special Agent Jonathan Pullen with the DEA's Rocky Mountain Field Division provided an update on Operation Return to Sender. He says the collaborative effort with federal agencies has allowed the DEA and other agencies to make significant headway in their mission. "There are worse people that we've arrested in the last two weeks than [the top ten], but we can't talk about them yet because they're active and ongoing investigations. Child sexual predators, major drug traffickers, weapons traffickers," Pullen said. "We're not just looking at one-offs or one person. What we're focusing on is taking out entire networks." Pullen says the efforts are ongoing, and the work is far from over. The DEA is confident these operations are making a positive impact on public safety. One of the top 10 suspects is accused of violent crimes at the troubled Edge at Lowry apartments in Aurora. Four of the top 10 suspects were detained in the operation at an Adams County nightclub in January. The DEA seized a gun, a fake federal badge and large amounts of cash. The firearm is still being investigated by the ATF to determine if it has been involved in other criminal activities. One hundred thirty thousand fentanyl pills were also recovered. Pullen says that's equivalent to 65,000 deadly doses. Not all drug seizures could be shared with the public due to ongoing investigations. The DEA says community cooperation has played a vital role in the success of these operations. Recently, the DEA has received an increase in tips from residents. The DEA is looking for more outstanding warrants. They're aware these operations could be pushing suspects into the shadows. Early Wednesday, they conducted an operation in Bozeman, Montana, where five people were arrested, including Tren de Aragua members. "There was probably an expectation that more people should have been arrested. We were looking for more TDA members than we did arrest, and I think they're nervous. They know we're coming, and we are coming," Pullen said.
