Overview
- A six-month joint federal and local investigation led to a late-Wednesday raid in southwest Tucson targeting a former cartel member who had re-entered the country after deportation.
- Authorities seized five million fentanyl pills along with 32 pounds of cocaine, 22 pounds of methamphetamine and four firearms during the operation.
- A group of demonstrators believed the warrant was for an ICE action and physically blocked officers from towing the suspect’s vehicle even after being told it was a narcotics investigation.
- Pinal County Sheriff Ross Teeple and Tucson Police Chief Chad Kasmar say the protest caused a temporary evidence-removal delay but did not prevent the suspect’s arrest.
- The mix-up has fueled wider debate over immigration enforcement after similar protests disrupted operations in Omaha and Los Angeles.