I am Apolonio Ruiz, the Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division, and I’d like to welcome you to Operation Engage Mesa!

As the Special Agent in Charge serving the State of Arizona, I remain committed to each of you, your families, and to our community. Across the country, non-fatal and fatal drug overdoses and are an ongoing and pernicious threat and remain the single largest cause of death for adults aged 18-45. Opioid poisonings, especially fentanyl poisonings, are the largest driver of these deaths. Every day we lose Americans to these heartbreaking and preventable poisonings.

In 2025, DEA Arizona seized over 19 million counterfeit prescription pills containing illicitly manufactured fentanyl and the Sinaloa Drug Cartel is responsible for that tidal wave of poison flooding into Arizona. Our DEA laboratories reported that almost 30% of these counterfeit pills contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. I promise you, DEA will not stop pursuing these criminal drug networks and bring them to justice. DEA remains focused on public safety and health and saving lives.

In response, DEA continues its comprehensive community-level collaborative approach Operation Engage, which focuses on reducing drug poisonings and saving lives through continuing drug education and awareness, prevention curriculum, online resources, school programs, and many other special events.

Through Operation Engage, the DEA Phoenix Field Division will focus our resources for our first year in Mesa, Arizona, targeting the opioid threat. Other components of Operation Engage will include:

Stakeholder/Community Gatherings: DEA Phoenix, in partnership with our local coalition partners, will hold monthly stakeholder updates at recurring stakeholder meetings across Mesa and the East Valley.

DEA Citizens Academy: DEA Phoenix is excited to bring a fourth DEA Citizens Academy, for the first time to Mesa. This week-long training will be held in June 2026, with the goal to forge a strong alliance with the community and community leaders. Participants will get an in-depth look into the mission and work that the DEA does worldwide and how we can all work together in combating drug misuse and save lives.

Youth Engagement:  Through a partnership with the DEA Educational Foundation, multiple summer camp and after-school programs such as art, dance, and martial arts classes will be available to youth beginning late spring/early summer. These FREE programs are designed to promote healthy lifestyles/choices and remaining drug-free, and provide opportunities for our youth to remain engaged in positive activities outside of school.  We will also be working with local youth to create public service announcements for social media, and to be highlighted at professional sports venues for Red Ribbon Week in the fall of 2026.

Community Outreach Programs:  DEA Phoenix in partnership with Mesa Prevention Alliance will host a one-day Youth Summit this fall in Mesa, Arizona, with the goal to educate our youth, inspire them to act within their communities and peer groups, and give them tools for communicating with their peers and community.

Please visit the Events section of this page for more events and details as they become available.

We cannot do this alone and we need your help to save lives. I invite you and your families to explore the many resources, programs, and opportunities offered by Operation Engage Mesa. We are all in this fight and together we can help to create a Fentanyl Free America and help our children and communities achieve their highest potential.

Always at your service,
SAC Ruiz

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