Man buys storage unit at auction, finds largest one-time seizure of counterfeit pills in Colorado history
Nov 18, 2025, 4:45 PM | Updated: Nov 19, 2025, 3:00 pm
This sounds like something straight off the cable TV show “Storage Wars,” but it’s actually something that happened right outside of Denver.
On Nov. 11 in Highlands Ranch, a guy won a storage locker in an auction, just like you’d see on the TV show. After he won, he opened up the unit and “found multiple items that appeared to be illegal narcotics” and “immediately notified” deputies.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office found 1.7 million counterfeit pills and another 12 kilograms of powder, the largest one-time seizure of counterfeit pills in Colorado history and the sixth-largest single seizure of suspected narcotic pills in United States history.
The original owner of the storage unit had been taken into custody by the DEA in April, which resulted in the unit going unpaid and eventually being auctioned off.
