Man convicted in major Denver fentanyl trafficking operation, produced millions of pills

Wednesday, Denver District Attorney John Walsh announced the conviction of a man accused of producing millions of fentanyl pills in a major drug trafficking operation in Denver.

Tashon Roberts was convicted on four counts relating to the manufacture, possession and distribution of fentanyl, as well as three counts of child abuse for exposing minors to the manufacture of a controlled substance. Roberts was also convicted of tampering with physical evidence and three "special drug offender" sentence enhancement charges.

Authorities said between Jan. 2024 and Aug. 2024 Roberts produced as many as 600,000 fentanyl pills per month, totaling millions of individual pills. He operated out of two laboratories located in separate homes in Aurora and reportedly distributed the drugs throughout the Denver metro area.

"Addressing the ongoing fentanyl crisis is a top priority for the DA's office and a critical part of our response is targeted investigation and enforcement aimed at high-level drug dealers like Tashon Roberts. This case sends the clear message that people who traffic in this deadly drug in Denver will be caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.  I want to thank the prosecutors and investigators in my office, the detectives with the Denver Police Department's Major Narcotics Trafficking Unit and the Denver Criminal Interdiction Task Force for their outstanding work on this case," said Walsh.

Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said the fentanyl trafficking operation endangered the lives of local residents and the department is glad Roberts will be off the streets for a long time.

Roberts's sentencing is set for April 11. He could be sentenced to more than 100 years in prison.