Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Fentanyl Crisis

Colorado Voters to Decide Tougher Fentanyl Penalties in November
Axios, Approved, State

Colorado Voters to Decide Tougher Fentanyl Penalties in November

By Esteban L. Hernandez | Axios Voters will decide this November whether to make possession of any fentanyl amount a felony. Why it matters: Advocates say doing so will help reduce fatal overdoses, but critics warn it'll only worsen the crisis. State of play: Proposition 132 functions as a public referendum that could shape how the criminal justice system deals with a drug killing hundreds statewide. What they're saying: The measure balances accountability with compassion, says Kristi Brown, vice president at Advance Colorado, the conservative-leaning policy organization that sponsored the proposal. Zoom in: Prop 132 aims to combat current state laws that Brown says don't go far enough in penalizing fentanyl possession. ...
Anthony: No border, no law, and no nation to protest in
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Top Stories

Anthony: No border, no law, and no nation to protest in

By Tom Anthony | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice I see students did a "walk out" protest at 180 public schools in commencement of the new school year. I myself had perfect attendance in high school up until Senior Ditch Day, but I was paying tuition. The fact it happened at 180 public schools on the same day suggests a slightly better organizational format than when I studied geometry, which indicates either a supremely dedicated student leadership or adult involvement. The walkout was "protesting ICE," or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the arm of government charged with enforcing immigration law inside the country, from those who slipped past Customs and Border Protection to those who overstayed a visa. During my high school years a number of protests of the Viet...
President Trump’s Historic Year of Achievements for Colorado
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

President Trump’s Historic Year of Achievements for Colorado

By Christy Fidura | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice When Joe Biden left office, he left a legacy of weakness, wokeness, and worry among the American people about our nation's future. In just over one year, President Trump has turned America around to ensure that the state of our Union is strong, and the future is bright. Despite inheriting an economy on the verge of collapse, President Trump stopped the bleeding and is getting America, and Colorado, back on the right path. True wages for workers increased more than $1,100 last year and Americans are reaping the rewards of tax refunds up 15% this year thanks to President Trump and Republicans passing the largest tax cut in history. The Working Class Families Tax Cut fulfilled several of President Trump's c...
Nearly 100 Cartel Figures Handed Over to US After Terror Designation By Trump Administration
New York Post, Approved, National

Nearly 100 Cartel Figures Handed Over to US After Terror Designation By Trump Administration

By Chris Nesi | New York Post Mexico has quietly shipped nearly 100 suspected cartel drug traffickers to the US to stand trial after President Trump branded the groups foreign terrorist organizations last year — and pressured the Mexican government to cooperate. The suspects include the brother of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes — the brutal Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader who was killed by the Mexican army on Sunday. The Justice Department said many of the 92 defendants released to the Americans had US extradition requests that were not honored during the Biden administration. “As President Trump has made clear, cartels are terrorist groups, and this Department of Justice is devoted to destroying cartels and transnati...
Colorado Teen’s Fatal Overdose Leads to Prison Time for Dealers and Boyfriend
CBS News, Approved, State

Colorado Teen’s Fatal Overdose Leads to Prison Time for Dealers and Boyfriend

By Logan Smith | CBS Colorado Three Colorado residents are currently serving prison sentences following a 16-year-old girl's drug overdose.  Kaleb Hale bought six pills from a man and woman in Greeley on July 24, 2021, according to court documents. He brought the pills to a friend's home where he and his girlfriend, identified in the court documents only as "J.H.," crushed one pill and snorted a portion of it.  "Once at that residence," federal prosecutors stated in another court document, "J.H. decided to try what would be her first, and last, dose of fentanyl." Hale, then 20 years old, awoke around noon the next day. He had defecated himself and "J.H." had vomited on him, according to the document. She was unconscious and not breathing. He tried to r...
Polis Says Colorado Police Can Work With DEA Despite Sanctuary Law
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Polis Says Colorado Police Can Work With DEA Despite Sanctuary Law

By The Denver Gazette Gov. Jared Polis on Friday insisted that local law enforcement officers in Colorado can — and should — work with federal drug enforcement authorities to go after criminal activity. An official of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency earlier said Colorado’s “sanctuary” laws, notably its prohibition against cooperating with federal authorities on illegal immigration matters, are having a “chilling effect” on law enforcement’s ability to pursue drug cartels operating in the state. “There’s always a matter of making sure local line officers are educated in our laws and that they know that they’re able to work with our federal partners on criminal matters,” Polis told The Denver Gazette. “So, it doesn’t shock me that there are some line officers somewhere ...
El Paso County District Attorney Michael Allen Announces Run for Colorado Attorney General
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

El Paso County District Attorney Michael Allen Announces Run for Colorado Attorney General

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice District Attorney of El Paso County Michael J. Allen has declared his intention to run for attorney general in Colorado. Allen served in the Navy and is in his second term as district attorney for Colorado’s Fourth Judicial District. His announcement comes as the state grapples with rising auto theft, higher insurance costs, and continued overdose deaths.Allen framed the decision as a gradual one. Allen framed the decision as a gradual one. “It was a long time coming to make the decision,” Allen said. “I’ve had people reaching out to me really starting January of 2025 — both statewide, local folks, and then even national folks — trying to talk me into running.” For Allen, the question was not simp...
DEA Chief Says Cartels View Colorado as Safe Haven for Drug Trafficking
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

DEA Chief Says Cartels View Colorado as Safe Haven for Drug Trafficking

By The Denver Gazette | Colorado politics Colorado’s “sanctuary” laws, notably its prohibition against cooperating with federal authorities, are having a “chilling effect” on law enforcement’s ability to go after drug cartels operating in the state, an official of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency said. That situation sits atop Colorado’s “pervasive drug culture stemming back to the marijuana initiation,” said David Olesky, the special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Rocky Mountain Field Division. That “drug culture” is sustained by how Colorado and its political subdivisions treat criminality, he said, adding he is not making a “political” statement — just describing the challenges his agents face on the ground. Of particular worry...
Trump Escalates War On Cartels With Fentanyl WMD Designation
Daily Wire, Approved, National

Trump Escalates War On Cartels With Fentanyl WMD Designation

By Jennie Taer | Daily Wire President Donald Trump on Monday announced the classification of illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, opening the door for the federal government to go even harder against the drug cartels. Trump signed the executive order, enhancing penalties for fentanyl traffickers and tasking the Department of War with countering the cartels producing the lethal narcotic. “No bomb does what this is doing. 200,000 to 300,000 people die every year that we know of, so we’re formally classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction,” Trump said while awarding troops with medals for securing the southern border on Monday. https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/2000666914654163022?s=20 READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE DAILY W...
Pam Bondi Turns the Tables on Senate Democrats in Fiery Judiciary Hearing
TownHall.com, Approved, Commentary, National

Pam Bondi Turns the Tables on Senate Democrats in Fiery Judiciary Hearing

By Matt Vespa | Commentary, Townhall Attorney General Pam Bondi came out swinging today during her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Democrats' plan was clear from the start: to distract and divert from their government shutdown, lawlessness in cities, rogue judges, and the death and destruction Joe Biden's open border policies unleashed. Pam Bondi was having none of it and continuously brought the conversation back to what Democrats tried to avoid. It’s one of those things: Democrats need to shift the focus on who’s to blame to mask their incompetence. She came prepared, bringing a gun to the Democrats’ knife fight. When liberal media reporters admit that she was cooking Democrats, you know it’s bad. Before we get to her taking these clowns to the cleaners, let’s ...