Colorado Springs police say a sprawling, five-month investigation into an alleged drug-trafficking organization has ended with the seizure of roughly 188 pounds of methamphetamine, about 37,000 fentanyl pills, cash, two pistols and a rifle. Two suspects are now in custody, one in Colorado Springs and another hundreds of miles away in New Mexico.
According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, the arrests followed a months-long probe into the alleged narcotics operation. CSPD's Metro Narcotics Team said it completed a five-month investigation into the group before moving to make arrests this week. Investigators served four search warrants across El Paso County as part of the operation.
Pounds of Meth, Thousands of Pills Taken Off the Street
Officials said the searches turned up approximately 188 pounds of methamphetamine along with roughly 37,000 fentanyl pills — a haul large enough to represent a significant dent in the local supply chain. Police also recovered a large amount of cash, two pistols and one rifle during the operation, per the same report.
36-year-old Fernando Briceno was arrested in Colorado Springs as part of the investigation. A second suspect was taken into custody by a drug task force in New Mexico, a joint effort that included New Mexico State Police, the Santa Fe Police Department and the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, CSPD said.
Federal Agents, Wider Network in the Mix
The Drug Enforcement Administration's Rocky Mountain Field Division assisted Colorado Springs police throughout the investigation. CSPD investigators have identified six people they allege were operating and conspiring to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, and the department said it will continue working with federal partners to identify any additional co-conspirators.
The bust lands amid a broader surge in drug seizures and overdose deaths across Colorado. Fatal overdoses in the state climbed from 1,603 in 2024 to 1,813 in 2025 — a 13% increase even as overdose deaths fell 15% nationwide, according to preliminary state data reported by The Denver Post. The outlet also noted that seizures of both fentanyl and methamphetamine in Colorado were each up roughly 30% in 2025 compared with the year before.
Part of a Regional Pattern Along I-25
Federal officials have pointed to Colorado as a hub in a larger pipeline. The DEA's Rocky Mountain division reported seizing just under 3.2 million illicit fentanyl pills and 92.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder across Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Montana so far in 2026, with Colorado alone accounting for 2.5 million of those pills, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. The division has described the Interstate 25 and Interstate 70 corridors as becoming “fentanyl pill superhighways,” and pill seizures across the region jumped from 5 million in 2024 to 8.7 million in 2025.
This week's case is not the first large-scale drug bust to hit Colorado Springs this year. In July, the DEA's Colorado Springs Regional Office and local police arrested three suspects after a separate months-long investigation, seizing roughly 108,000 fentanyl pills, about $100,000 in cash, seven pounds of cocaine, methamphetamine and powder fentanyl, and ten firearms—seven rifles and three pistols, according to KJCT8.
CSPD has not released further details on formal charges, bond status or court dates for the suspects, and the department has not said how many of the six people it identified as allegedly running the operation have been arrested. Investigators say the search for additional co-conspirators continues.
