Denver suspended the license of a lodging facility for the first time in the city’s history due to ongoing crime.

Regis Motel, located at 8282 E. Colfax Ave., was issued an order to shut down by the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses on Thursday, according to a press release from the city. The license suspension is due to Denver police uncovering drug dealing, car thefts, illegal firearms and prostitution at the property. 

The timeline of crime at the location stems back to July of 2023, according to the suspension summary. On July 25, a person was arrested at the motel with over 99 grams of cocaine, 45 tablets of fentanyl, over four grams of methamphetamine and over one gram of oxycodone along with a stolen firearm.

The list goes on.

An individual was arrested for having crack cocaine on the premises in August. A few days later, the manager was arrested in connection with 10 burglaries. Denver police investigators also did three undercover drug busts and a prostitution sting at the motel in September.

The final straw for the city — a resident of the motel shot and killed another resident through their room door on Sept. 25, according to the summary.

The director of the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses reviewed the police report and decided that the business breaks the Denver Revised Municipal Code 32-14. That code states that any business licensee that “has been guilty of deliberate and willful violation or that the public health, safety, or welfare imperatively requires emergency action” can be suspended immediately.

This is only the eighth instance of the city suspending a business license since 2017.

Geradette Borrego bought the 18-unit motel in May. He watched as motel residents were kicked out without warning on Thursday.

Borrego told The Denver Gazette’s news partners 9News that he had been working to turn things around at the location. 

“We have talked to numerous organizations, this last Friday we had a meeting with District 8 Shontel Lewis to try to get these changes into effect,” Borrego said.