When Denver Police Use Confidential Informants: How the Defense Challenges Reliability
September 12, 2026
Colorado’s stance on drug offenses has shifted over the years, with reforms aimed at prioritizing treatment over punishment for low-level possession charges. However, drug-related crimes still carry severe penalties, particularly for offenses involving intent to distribute or trafficking.
But, many potential defenses may be available, depending on the circumstances of your case. Was the search of your property lawful? Did the police mishandle evidence? Were you aware of the drugs found in your possession? These are just a few of [...]
Possessing most drugs in any quantity is a serious offense, but there are some factors that can make this already significant crime even more substantial in the eyes of the law.
A Denver man who was recently convicted for drug trafficking is a perfect example. He was sentenced in federal court to drug trafficking charges, but his sentence was enhanced further because he was found in possession of a firearm while committing the crime.
He was sentenced to five years [...]
Marijuana has been legal in Colorado for over seven years, and the 2020 election shows that states are still following suit. That doesn’t mean that Coloradoans face no rules when it comes to handling the substance, though.
If you are involved in any sort of out-of-state marijuana distribution, you are likely to face more than one charge. Some of these charges will be drug charges, while others may involve money, weapons, or elements that appear to be completely unrelated to [...]
In Colorado, marijuana is legal. As of January 2020, medical marijuana delivery also became legal in the state. If you look up marijuana delivery services in the area, you may think the delivery of recreational marijuana is perfectly legal, too.
While Colorado is on track to legalize recreational weed delivery by 2021, you’ll find it’s not quite happened yet. Some businesses are attempting recreational marijuana delivery services nonetheless.
The problem is, because this is still an illegal practice in the [...]
Drug trafficking is a battle that Colorado has been fighting for decades. One of the most valuable weapons the state has against drug trafficking? It is actually a person.
One particular Colorado deputy has made drug busts along the I-70 highway his life mission, and more than twenty years later, he’s well on his way.
The Mesa County Deputy with 1,000+ Seizures Under His BeltDuring the deputy’s time policing his beat, he’s confiscated more than 20 tons of illegal [...]
A confidential informant almost never speaks to the judge who signs the warrant. Instead, the judge reads a detective’s sworn summary of what an unnamed person allegedly said. That gap can become one of the most important issues in a Denver drug, weapons, theft, or other criminal case.
The defense does not cross-examine the informant when the warrant is issued. At that stage, the focus is on the affidavit itself: what the informant allegedly knew, how police verified the information, [...]
Colorado fentanyl possession charges can become serious felonies at relatively low weight thresholds. The law focuses on the weight of the material, compound, mixture, or preparation containing fentanyl rather than only the amount of pure fentanyl inside it. That means a small-looking quantity of powder or counterfeit pills can result in a much more serious charge once the substance is tested and weighed.
Weight is only part of the case. What the accused person knew, whether the state can prove [...]
Colorado COCCA charges are racketeering charges used when prosecutors claim a person participated in an enterprise through a pattern of criminal activity. These cases often grow out of drug, theft, burglary, fraud, identity theft, or financial investigations that are later reframed as organized conduct.
A COCCA count is not automatic just because several people were charged together or because prosecutors believe more than one crime occurred. The state must prove specific structural elements, including an enterprise and a pattern of [...]