Fentanyl Fuels Deadly Year in Denver Despite Major Drug Seizures

By Michael Braithwaite | The Denver Gazette

Bundles of fentanyl pills seized by the Rocky Mountain Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration during an October operation that resulted in over 1 million seized pills. (Courtesy, DEA RMFD)

    

Fatal fentanyl overdoses in Denver rose by nearly 25% in 2025 to the second-highest total in the past half decade, according to preliminary data from the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment.

Within the city, 346 people died last year from fatal fentanyl doses, up from 277 the year before, which is second to only 2023 in the number of fatal fentanyl overdoses this decade, according to the data.

The trend matched that of overall drug overdoses in the city, which rose from 483 in 2024 to 517 in 2025, or over 7% from 2024 to 2025, according to the data.

In addition to the listed numbers, there are 87 cases from the final few months of the year that are still pending the final cause and manner of death, the department said on its website.

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