When Denver Police Use Confidential Informants: How the Defense Challenges Reliability
September 12, 2026
Many people in Colorado are given prescription medication to treat a variety of conditions. When you have a valid prescription for a medication, then that means you have the legal right to possess it in the state.
However, while you have the right to keep certain medications on your person as you go about your day, having a valid prescription doesn’t make it legal to share your medications with anyone else – even a friend or family member you’re simply [...]
Prescription drugs are very helpful for people suffering from chronic health issues or pain. Unfortunately, these medications can also be used by some for recreation, leading to addiction and abuse.
The opioid epidemic in this country rages on and on – and with it, prescription drug fraud. Prescription drug fraud is a serious drug charge that can lead to severe consequences. Read on to understand what it is and what penalties can be faced in Colorado if you are convicted [...]
The abuse of prescription drugs is an emerging epidemic that’s now recognized as a significant threat to public health. The death toll from prescription drug abuse is huge, and even includes a number of celebrities, like Prince, Tom Petty, and Anna Nicole Smith.
As the number of deaths from prescription drugs continues to rise sharply across the US, the federal government has commissioned various agencies to combat the prescription drug epidemic. Many states, including Colorado, augment the federal government’s efforts [...]
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 [...]