41-year-old Anthony Wahl pled guilty to possession of fentanyl with intend to manufacture or distribute earlier this week after attempting to have a package containing the drug delivered to Copper Mountain’s Edge Employee Housing in July, according to Summit Daily.
The Summit County Sheriff’s Office received a tip from the U.S. Postal Inspector and Drug Enforcement Administration about the contents of the package on July 13th, proceeding to seize and replace it with a replica. Wahl was arrested without incident when the fake package was delivered and accepted. A search warrant was obtained for the Sheriff’s office to investigate the package. 115 pills of counterfeit oxycodone were found inside.
Fentanyl related deaths rose over 70% in Colorado throughout 2021 according to the DEA, and, on December 2, 2022, 45 pounds of a fentanyl and cocaine mixture was seized by the DEA Rocky Mountain Division in Longmont, Colorado.
Wahl is scheduled to be sentenced on February 13, 2023, facing up to a four-year prison sentence and a $500,000 fine. Prosecutors dropped a Class 4 drug felony in exchange for the guilty plea, sticking only to a Class 3 felony.
Image Credit: Summit County Sheriff’s Office via Facebook, Copper Mountain via Instagram