SWAT, Homeland Security search Aurora home for fentanyl pill-making operation

DENVER ( KDVR ) — The Denver Police Department and Aurora SWAT team served a narcotics-related search warrant in Aurora on Wednesday that they say was connected to a suspected fentanyl operation.

The search was in conjunction with Homeland Security and Drug Enforcement Administration and was marked by a brief shelter-in-place warning.

Just after 7 a.m. on Wednesday, the Aurora Police Department posted on X that APD SWAT was serving a search warrant in the 1800 block of South Olathe Street. The area is east of Horseshoe Park in the Stone Ridge Park neighborhood, and a shelter-in-place order was in effect for around 40 minutes.

However, officers were expected to be in the area for several hours and remained at the house as of Wednesday afternoon.

At about 1:42 p.m., the Denver agency reported that they had worked in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Agency on a months-long operation resulting in a search warrant in the 1800 block of South Olathe Street.

Officers said they found a large-scale fentanyl pill-making operation and Wednesday’s search resulted in officers recovering pill-making equipment, suspected fentanyl and firearms.

People who live in the neighborhood told FOX31’s Vicente Arenas they were surprised by the raid.

“I was watching television and I saw it on the news, and I said that’s two blocks away. So, I walked over to see what was going on,” said neighbor David Tafoya.

Another neighbor said he’d heard the demand for fentanyl pills was on the rise.

“It doesn’t surprise me — the fact that it’s fentanyl. It’s a new thing,” said Matt Minton. “I’ve lived in Aurora most of my life. I have seen this happen with heroin with cocaine. So, there have been busts all over Aurora for as long as I can remember.”

A source told FOX31 at least three motorized pill presses were found with the capacity to make up to 10 thousand pills a day.

FOX31 was also told there were three children in the home who are OK.

“It’s usually a very quiet neighborhood, so it’s unusual for the police and all of this activity and then I found out it was Fentanyl. I was very surprised,” Tafoya said.

But what surprised most people Arenas talked to was where the fentanyl pills were allegedly being made.

“This whole neighborhood is quiet. (I am) shocked that it happened in this neighborhood. It happens everywhere. I’m glad they got (them) so it’s not happening anymore there,” said Kim Webb, another neighbor.

The DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division said Wednesday that more than 1.3 million Fentanyl pills had been seized by the end of March in Colorado. That’s already half the number that were seized in all of last year.

Denver police reported two people were taken into custody on unrelated warrants. The agency also said the situation is being treated as a possible hazmat situation; however, it is contained to one house and there is no risk to neighboring houses. Additionally, the agency thanked the Aurora Police Department and Aurora Fire Rescue for assisting in the search warrant operation.

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