In CENTENNIAL, Colo., the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Rocky Mountain Field Division has been busy with raids over the past four days. More than 50 individuals have been arrested, and according to Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen, there is more enforcement on the horizon.
Special Agent Pullen emphasized, “Our efforts are ongoing, and we are far from finished. We are committed to making Denver a safer place by removing the most dangerous drug and violent offenders from our communities.”
The DEA’s operations have been extensive, with six operations taking place in the Denver metro area in the span of 100 hours. The first operation kicked off in Adams County, where 49 individuals were taken into custody. Among the detainees, 41 were determined to be residing in the U.S. unlawfully, with many having connections to the Venezuelan gang known as Tren de Aragua (TdA).
Two more undocumented immigrants with ties to Mexican cartels were arrested during a Monday raid in southeast Denver. DEA agents also seized more than 130,000 fentanyl pills during that operation.
The DEA conducted four more raids at several locations Tuesday night into Wednesday, resulting in at least two people — one with suspected TdA ties and the other with connections to a Mexican drug cartel — being taken into custody.
“I think if you look at the bulk of the work, the guns that were taken off the street, 130,000 fentanyl pills, there’s no question these are serious criminals,” Pullen said.
Pullen also noted that this week’s raids were aided by DEA agents stationed in other countries, including Peru, who came to the Denver area to assist with the operations. He said these operations had been in the works for some time but noted a renewed sense of urgency under the Trump administration.
“We’ve been instructed to work harder. And not just harder but to work together,” Pullen said. “I think the bar is different. We’re not looking at quotas on drugs, money or guns. What we’re working to do is keep the citizens of Colorado safe, and that’s what our bar is, that’s what our focus is, taking out criminal organizations who are here in the state selling drugs, moving weapons and human trafficking.”
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