AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) – An arrest made just before the end of 2022 unearthed more than 80,000 pills, all laced with the deadly opioid fentanyl.
On the last Thursday of the year, investigators with the Aurora Police Department conducted a search at a residence located on the 20500 block of East Buchanan Boulevard, police said.
(Credit: Aurora Police Department)
APD arrested Hernan Soria Ramirez, 24, on Dec. 29, and now, he faces two felony charges that include:
- Distribution of a controlled substance
- Possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute
The associated search resulted in the discovery of a large amount of illegal narcotics, including:
- 80,000 pills (the estimated street value of the seized pills is more than $200,000)
- 8.3 kilograms of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone
- 500 grams of suspected Xanax
- $1,884 in cash
“We have documented cases throughout the state of people overdosing on just one pill of fentanyl,” commander of the Aurora Police Department’s Special Operations Bureau Kevin Barnes said. “By arresting Mr. Ramirez and removing this poison from our streets, our investigators have effectively saved as many as 80,000 lives.”
Circumstances that led up to this search
Back in September when the investigation was launched by APD, officials followed leads that suggested Ramirez was allegedly advertising the sale of illicit drugs on various social media platforms, police said.
After several APD-conducted controlled operations, police said they confirmed that Ramirez was the alleged distributor.
APD officials said this wraps up a four-month-long investigation into the regional distribution of counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl.
If you have any information that could help investigators regarding this or another fentanyl-related incident, you can contact the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers by calling 720-913-7867.