Colorado tops in bank robberies in 2021; some blame fentanyl

By ALLISON SHERRY
Colorado Public Radio

DENVER (AP) — Colorado’s FBI field office ranked No. 1 for bank robberies in the country in 2021. Colorado Public Radio reports the state normally has between 110 and 120 bank robberies a year. That number dropped to 90 in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns. But last year, it spiked to 195 robberies. Law enforcement officials say fentanyl could be playing a role. In the last few months of 2021, investigators arrested four suspects in more than 40 robberies combined. Three out of four of those suspects told federal officials that they were supporting fentanyl addictions.