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Fentanyl Seizures Surge In Colorado As Cartels Spread To New Regions, DEA Says

DENVER, Colo. – Colorado is experiencing record seizures of fentanyl, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, who attributed some of the rise to cartels spreading into new regions and distributing larger volumes of the drug.

DEA spokesman Dave Olesky, who is also the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Rocky Mountain Field Division, said his investigators conduct drug busts across Utah, Wyoming and Montana and are reporting more signs of cartel activity.

Olesky explained that agents have noticed drugs typically associated with cartels in eastern Washington coming into the state of Montana.

"We have also seen local street gangs that might be more common in Detroit and the East Coast actually coming into the state of Montana to compete for that territory because the price per pill is so much higher up there," Olesky added.

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The DEA's Rocky Mountain Field Division broke its fentanyl seizure record last year, confiscating more than 2.6 million pills in Colorado in 2023. (Drug Enforcement Administration)

The Rocky Mountain Field Division broke its fentanyl seizure record last year, confiscating more than 2.6 million pills in Colorado in 2023, and this year is already on track to surpass that number.

"Quantities of fentanyl that we are seeing now in the Denver area, they used to be, two years ago, typically what you might see in one of the distribution cities down in Phoenix, Los Angeles. But nowadays, those cities are seeing exponential increases in terms of the number of and quantities of fentanyl being seized," Olesky said, adding that 100,000 quantity seizures are "sadly becoming the norm" in the Denver metro.

Drug overdose deaths have spiked from 8.2 per 100,000 people in the year 2000 to 32.6 per 100,000 in 2022, per the CDC. (Drug Enfrocement Administration)

Seven out of every 10 illicit pills now contain a deadly dose of fentanyl, the DEA reported, and because the synthetic pills are cheap to make and easy to become addicted to, there is no shortage of supply and demand.

Olesky said the people selling the pills don't care if they are safe, only that they make money. He also said the DEA is investigating criminal organizations in China that play a role in the fentanyl crisis by helping cartels produce the drug for cheap.

"The Mexican drug trafficking organizations are able to produce this as simply as whether it's a super lab or a garage in Mexico," Olesky said.

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In fall 2023, only about half of illicit pills contained a deadly dose of fentanyl – now it's nearly 70% of illicit pills, according to the DEA. (Drug Enforcement Administration)

Jason Mikesell, the sheriff in Teller County, Colorado, said he believes the migrant crisis at the southern border has contributed to the fentanyl surge in Colorado despite the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection trying to stop the drug from entering the country.

"Why do we see such a huge rise in Colorado with fentanyl? We are 10 hours from El Paso. They are coming here as a place that's supposedly going to house them," Mikesell said.

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Olesky, on the other hand, believes multiple factors have led to the surge.

"Certainly there is a border piece to this, but then there's also got to be the outreach piece, the education piece," Olesky said.

Since the pills can be disguised well, sometimes even packaged in bright colors to attract children, Olesky said one of the best ways to prevent fentanyl poisoning is to talk about it and its dangers.

The DEA warned that cartels sell multicolored fentanyl pills, which can attract children. (Drug Enforcement Administration)

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Drug overdoses, largely driven by fentanyl, are the leading cause of death for adults ages 18 to 45, according to the CDC. 

From the year 2000 to 2022, the rate of drug overdose deaths nearly quadrupled from 8.2 per 100,000 people to 32.6 per 100,000, the agency reported.

Kennedy Hayes joined Fox News in 2023 as a multimedia reporter based in Denver.

What's Behind A Woman's 43-Year History Of Drug-Resistant Epilepsy?

What can be done to control unprovoked seizures in a 55-year-old woman with drug-resistant epilepsy who was admitted to the hospital?

The patient's medical history indicated that she had been diagnosed with drug-resistant epilepsy more than 40 years before, at the age of 12, reported Seyed Mirsattari, MD, PhD, of Western University in London, Ontario, and co-authors in JAMA Neurology.

At age 37, she had undergone an anterior corpus callosotomy after subdural electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes revealed nonlocalizable bifrontal epilepsy marked by switching lateralization and rapid bilateral progression. The surgical procedure had no effect on her seizure semiology, nor was it associated with any appreciable clinical improvements.

The patient told clinicians that typically before a seizure came on, her stomach would feel enlarged and she would have a wave of warmth. This would be followed by simple monosyllabic vocalizations before she would lose awareness.

Clinicians learned that her seizures lasted about 2 minutes, and were usually "accompanied by manual automatisms of either hand and concomitant dystonic posturing of the contralateral arm." On some occasions, a seizure would be followed by an urgent need to urinate.

She explained that her seizures usually occurred at night. In discussing her history with physicians, the patient recalled that since she was a child, she had noticed that being in direct contact with a cold surface -- like when walking barefoot on cold tiles -- was sure to trigger a seizure.

The patient described similar effects with sudden exposure to cooler temperatures, for instance after quickly taking her sweater off in an air-conditioned space or walking into a pool of cool water without giving her body time to adjust to the change in temperature.

To assess her response, clinicians placed an ice pack on her back. This sensation immediately triggered her typical seizure.

The patient underwent a single-photon emission CT scan. The result, overlaying a T1-weighted MRI, "demonstrated ictal hyperperfusion of the right inferomedial and inferolateral frontal lobes, which represent the epileptogenic regions involved in the patient's cold reflex seizures," the authors explained.

During the ictal time frame, the team performed an EEG of her scalp. This revealed "muscle artifacts that obscured the onset of seizures, followed by rhythmic activity in the right temporal region with transfer to the left temporal region," they wrote.

Clinicians performed a subsequent stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) with depth-electrode recordings. They interpreted the findings as suggesting that the patient's typical seizures originated from the right lateral orbitofrontal region. "The semiology of her cold-induced reflex seizure was consistent with her typical seizures captured on scalp EEG and SEEG, respectively," they noted.

Discussion

Reflex epilepsy is characterized by consistent seizures triggered by a specific stimulus. This may be generated internally, by stimuli such as cognitive demands or emotions, or external factors, such as lights, sounds, or temperature. Visual stimuli account for 75% to 80% of all triggers in reflex epilepsy, along with thinking, music, and eating, according to a 2021 paper on reflex epilepsy.

Temperature-generated reflex epilepsy typically occurs when hot water triggers temporal lobe seizures, the authors explained; cold-induced reflex epilepsy is very rare.

"This patient presented with focal-onset seizures with impaired awareness in response to the sensation of an ice pack," the team wrote. Results of the SEEG sampling suggested the seizures originated in the right orbitofrontal lobe, "and were associated with transfer of rhythmic activity between the right and left posterior supplementary motor cortices."

Another case report of cold-induced reflex epilepsy described a patient "whose epileptogenic zone likely originated from the prefrontal lobes with similar ictal findings of slow rhythm transfers between the temporal lobes on scalp EEG," they added.

While little is known about the brain activities involved in cold-induced reflex epilepsy, functional imaging studies indicate exposure to cold results in "increased activation of the orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, and posterior insula," which Mirsattari and team noted is similar to other primitive experiences related to pain, hunger, and thirst.

Reflex epilepsy often involves underlying hyperexcitability of the cortical region triggered by exposure to the offending stimulus, the authors said. "We postulate that cold-induced reflex epilepsy arises from hyperexcitability of the orbitofrontal cortex, although we cannot definitely exclude rapid seizure propagation from the insula."

Primary treatments for cold-induced reflex epilepsy include avoidance of cold stimuli and use of antiseizure medication. When the epilepsy is resistant to medical treatment, surgical resection of the culprit region can be considered, although this patient declined that option.

Kate Kneisel is a freelance medical journalist based in Belleville, Ontario.

Disclosures

Mirsattari and co-authors reported no disclosures.

Primary Source

JAMA Neurology

Source Reference: Li CMF, et al "Cold-induced reflex epilepsy" JAMA Neurol 2024; DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2024.0884.

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New Bedford Police Make Historic Cocaine Seizure With An Estimated Value Of $1 Million

NEW BEDFORD - A New Bedford detective's investigation into a cocaine delivery service has led to a historic cocaine seizure — more than 37 pounds — that's worth an estimated $1 million.

Detective Jonathan Miranda concluded his investigation May 1, and three search warrants were executed - one for 385 Farm St., apartment 2, one for 189 Deane St., apartment 1, and one for a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee connected to the target of the investigation, Gilberto Collazo, 31.

Collazo was charged with trafficking in excess of 200 grams of cocaine, which carries a potential penalty of 12 to 20 years in prison, according to a New Bedford Police Department press release.

A New Bedford detective's investigation into a cocaine delivery service has led to a historic cocaine seizure - more than 37 pounds - that's worth an estimated $1 million.

17 kilos, or 37.5 pounds, were seized

Police said 17 kilos were located as a result of the searches, which is 37.5 pounds. Once cut and packaged for distribution its street value would be approximately $1 million.

"A seizure of this size, in this region of the country, is exceptionally uncommon," said Chief Paul Oliveira. "It takes a dedicated detective working within a tenacious team to get this type of result. I'm always very proud of our narcotics unit, but I'm particularly delighted with them today."

Massachusetts ranked 4th nationally for rate of cocaine use

Cocaine addiction is still a prevalent problem in Massachusetts. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Massachusetts is ranked fourth in the country for the overall rate of cocaine use.

"This is a major seizure by any standard, and it is the result of skillful police work," said Mayor Jon Mitchell. "I am grateful for the diligence of the department's detectives in preventing this stash from ever reaching the streets, here, or elsewhere."

DA will ask defendant be held without bail

"I am very pleased with the efforts of the New Bedford narcotics detectives, which led to the seizure of an extraordinary amount of cocaine," said Bristol County District Attorney Thomas A. Quinn. "This is the biggest seizure of narcotics in recent memory, if not in the history of New Bedford. This case highlights the large amount of narcotics that continues to be trafficked in our communities on a daily basis. My office will be asking the court to detain this defendant and hold him without bail."

If you have any information you would like to share with the police, you can do so anonymously by submitting a tip on the website or by calling 508-99-CRIME.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford Police take 37 pounds of cocaine off the streets

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