Denver Man Sentenced 145 Years for Metro Fentanyl Production, Child Abuse

Tashon Roberts, 33, was sentenced to 145 years in prison after being convicted of manufacturing, possessing, and distributing millions of fentanyl pills from two Aurora homes in the Denver metro area between January and August 2024. The operation, which produced up to 600,000 pills per month, also exposed three young children to fentanyl, with one testing positive, leading to additional child abuse charges. Authorities seized pill-making equipment and firearms during a raid, and the case was the result of a lengthy investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies. The Denver District Attorney emphasized that this sentence sends a strong message to fentanyl traffickers about the severity of consequences. In related cases, Jose Hector Ruiz was sentenced to 10 years in California for transporting over 700,000 fentanyl pills, and Kailin Stewart received 70 months in federal prison in Pennsylvania for fentanyl trafficking. These cases highlight ongoing national efforts to combat the fentanyl crisis through lengthy prison sentences and multi-agency operations.