Fentanyl is here and it can find anyone who is recreationally or habitually using drugs. Two recent arrests made by the Carbondale Police Department (CPD) resulted in the discovery of substances that tested presumptive positive for fentanyl-laced cocaine. The substances were sent to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for confirmatory testing, the results of which are not yet available.

First Friday 
On First Friday, May 5, an individual with an outstanding warrant out of Rifle Municipal Court was recognized and approached by Carbondale police officers outside of Main Street Spirits, after 9pm. The suspect attempted to flee after he was told he was being arrested for the warrant, but the two arresting officers were ultimately able to detain him.

According to the “affidavit in support of warrantless arrest,” the suspect said to the officers, “I’m not going to lie, I have coke,” allegedly referring to cocaine. Indeed, upon searching the suspect, a black ziploc baggie was discovered. At the police station, the contents of the bag tested presumptive positive for cocaine and fentanyl. According to the affidavit, there were 12 grams of fentanyl-laced cocaine, divided into six separate baggies.

Among other charges, the suspect was charged with unlawful possession with the intent to distribute less than 14 grams of a schedule two narcotic.

Nature Park
On May 5, someone reported on the Roaring Fork Swap Facebook page that their wallet had been stolen from their vehicle. Another commented that they’d received an email from the dog park group, “and apparently there were multiple thefts there.”

On May 8, a different individual reported to the police that his car was broken into. While speaking with CPD, the reporting party received a call from his bank stating someone was attempting to cash a check at the drive through, noting that the signature did not match what the bank had on record.

The police arrived at the bank, identified the male suspect at the drive through and approached his vehicle. According to a CPD press release, the suspect admitted to entering the vehicle and stealing the check, and furthermore, that he had consumed cocaine. The arresting officers claimed to have seen “in plain view” a white powdery substance in the suspect’s vehicle. 

Officers “confiscated approximately six grams of cocaine laced with fentanyl

from the vehicle,” the press release continued, as well as “other stolen items from previous thefts at the Nature Park.” 

Speaking with CPD
The Sopris Sun had the chance to catch up with CPD Chief Kirk Wilson. First, Wilson stated that the two incidents were with separate individuals and not related. 

“Fentanyl is a drug that is becoming more popular in this country every day. It is cheap and easily transported. It is problematic, as it is not produced in a lab environment. Each dose has a different amount of fentanyl in it and therefore the overdose risk is incredibly high,” continued Wilson. “We saw this coming a while ago and that is why CPD is a strong advocate of making Narcan available to all. Narcan saves lives!”

Reportedly, the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office made 12 arrests in 2022 that involved fentanyl, and one thus far in 2023. This does not include arrests made by municipal police departments within the county. The Sopris Sun was not able to obtain comparative data from CPD by press time. 

Wilson encourages people to contact Maggie Seldeen with High Rockies Harm Reduction (HRHR) for Narcan training and supply. Visit www.highrockiesharmreduction.com for more information. 

HRHR also carries fentanyl test strips for people who choose to consume drugs which could be tainted with the deadly additive.