DENVER — Two men are facing federal drug charges after police found two forms of fentanyl — heroin and cocaine in a Denver home earlier this month.
According to US District Attorney Jason Dunn, Gilbert Franco Garcia, 38, and Jesus Aviles-Higuera, 29, are accused of possessing approximately:
- 1 kilogram of fentanyl, most of which was in the form of a dark-colored brick
- 134 fentanyl pills
- 454 grams of black tar heroin
- 75 grams of cocaine
Denver police found the drugs during a search at 4860 W. Mexico Ave on Nov. 1.
Shortly after the seizure, Denver police and the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) sent out a public health alert because they said the brick-form of fentanyl could easily be mistaken for black tar heroin.
DDPHE described fentanyl as a "powerful synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times more potent than heroin, and 100 times more potent than morphine."
Fentanyl overdoses can happen extremely quickly and are hard to stop, according to DDPHE. Even simply touching or breathing in fentanyl can be harmful.
Garcia and Aviles-Higuera appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on Thursday and were charged with possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute it.
Their detention hearings are scheduled for next week.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Local stories from 9NEWS