Multi-Agency Drug Bust Leads to Massive Seizures
PHOENIX, Ariz — DEA Special Agent in Charge Apolonio Ruiz Jr. joined Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and HIDTA Director Dawn Mertz to announce the results of a major multi-agency drug operation targeting criminal organizations operating in Arizona communities.
“This extraordinary investigation saved countless lives,” said Apolonio Ruiz Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Phoenix Field Division. “These traffickers were flooding our communities with fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine for profit. DEA’s Fentanyl Free America initiative is a relentless commitment to dismantling supply chains, disrupting trafficking networks, and eliminating deadly drugs. Together, we are the force that stops them.”
The operation yielded significant seizures, including over 1,750 pounds of methamphetamine, more than 113 pounds of cocaine, over 11 pounds of fentanyl in pills and powder form, heroin, marijuana, and spice. Law enforcement also confiscated nearly two dozen firearms, more than two dozen vehicles, over $612,000 in cash, and $300,000 in cryptocurrency.
"Every gram of narcotics we take off the street is a potential overdose that doesn't happen, an addiction that doesn't take root, a kid who gets to keep their parent," said Attorney General Mayes. "This is the result of significant criminal activity — and the result of agencies that stayed focused on a common goal: taking dangerous drugs off Arizona streets, keeping families safe, and holding the people responsible accountable."
The operation was a joint effort between the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Arizona Attorney General's Office, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, the Surprise Police Department, the Casa Grande Police Department, the Buckeye Police Department, the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Phoenix Police Department. Officials credited the breadth of the seizures to close coordination between agencies, each of which contributed distinct resources and expertise.
