Investigators say the operation stretched across New Mexico, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada and Utah, with immigration-related counts filed against the alleged ringleader.
ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Federal authorities said Tuesday they seized 2.7 million fentanyl pills and arrested suspects tied to a multistate distribution network after coordinated raids late last month. The Drug Enforcement Administration announced the case as its largest fentanyl pill seizure to date, saying agents also recovered cash, guns and other narcotics at locations across the West.
Officials said the seizures capped a months-long investigation focused on a trafficker they allege supplied fentanyl to cities across several states. Prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging multiple defendants with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and related offenses. The announcement marks a significant escalation in the federal response to fentanyl trafficking, highlighting the scope of the supply chain and the volume of pills moving through storage units, homes and vehicles. Authorities said the case remains active, with additional investigative steps underway and detention decisions pending in federal court.
According to the DEA, agents executed search warrants during the last week of April, then unveiled the results on May 6 at a briefing with federal and local partners. Investigators said they seized 2.7 million pills in Albuquerque along with stacks of cash and dozens of firearms. Raids occurred the same week in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salem and Layton, where teams collected more currency, vehicles and additional drugs. “This historic drug seizure is a significant blow,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in prepared remarks. Acting DEA Administrator Robert Murphy called it “a battlefield victory” against a network he said pumped fentanyl into U.S. cities.
Authorities identified Heriberto Salazar Amaya, 36, as the accused leader of the trafficking group. He is charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and faces three immigration-related counts: illegal reentry after deportation, hiring an unauthorized worker and conspiracy to harbor unauthorized workers. Prosecutors said 16 people were arrested in the initial takedown and more were later charged by criminal complaint as agents searched additional stash sites. Court records list seizures that include 396 kilograms of fentanyl pills in New Mexico, 11.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder, seven pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, and nearly $5 million combined in cash and valuables at locations in several states. Officials said some firearms had illegal conversion devices. The indictment emphasizes that all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Agents described a logistics-heavy operation that relied on vehicles, storage units and coordinated cash handling. In Albuquerque, they counted roughly $610,000 and 49 firearms along with the fentanyl haul. In Phoenix, teams reported 72 pounds of methamphetamine, 13 kilograms of fentanyl pills, heroin and five kilograms of cocaine. A Las Vegas search recovered more than $93,000, cocaine and methamphetamine, and authorities reported one removable noncitizen apprehended by immigration officials. In Oregon, investigators said they seized over $2.8 million and high-end vehicles and jewelry. A separate storage unit search tied to the case turned up about 165.5 kilograms of fentanyl pills, according to a criminal complaint. Prosecutors also detailed a Santa Fe stash where roughly 110,000 pills were recovered and an apartment where agents reported 365,000 pills, heroin, cocaine and 24 firearms.
The DEA credited its Albuquerque District Office and El Paso Division with leading the effort, noting support from the IRS Criminal Investigation and a long list of local and tribal police agencies. The case falls under a Justice Department initiative that pools organized-crime task forces and violent-crime programs to target cartel-linked supply lines. Officials framed the seizure against rising fentanyl availability tracked by federal data, which has shown sharp increases in pill seizures at the border and inland corridors in recent years. While authorities did not identify a single cartel sponsor in the announcement, they linked the network to cross-border sourcing and alleged that the group used western routes to stage shipments deeper into the United States.
Prosecutors named additional defendants in charging documents, including Cesar Acuna-Moreno, Bruce Sedillo, Vincent Montoya, Francisco Garcia, David Anesi, George Navarette-Ramirez, Alex Anthony Martinez, Jose Luis Marquez, Nicholas Tanner, Brian Sanchez, Kaitlyn Young and Alan Singer. Several face added counts for distribution and possession with intent to distribute. Sedillo is also charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Separate criminal complaints were filed against Phillip Lovato, Roberta Herrera and Misael Lopez Rubio, tied to stash locations where agents said they found large quantities of pills, narcotics and weapons. Hearing dates were not immediately available Tuesday, and detention motions remain pending in several districts, according to the Justice Department.
The operation’s footprint spanned communities from Albuquerque to Salem. In New Mexico, police and deputies from Bernalillo and surrounding counties worked with federal agents on searches of homes, vehicles and storage units. In Arizona, investigators cataloged pills and meth at sites in Phoenix. In Nevada, agents listed narcotics and cash along with a cocaine total measured in kilograms. In Utah, federal prosecutors outlined a separate case against an undocumented defendant after a large fentanyl load was seized in Washington County, underscoring how investigators say fentanyl shipments move along interstates that connect the Southwest with the Mountain West and Pacific Northwest. Officials said chain-of-custody procedures preserved evidence collected at each site.
Neighbors described unmarked SUVs and box trucks at some locations during the late April enforcement push. Photos released by the DEA show blue pills grouped in bins, bundles of cash spread across tables and seized firearms laid out for inventory. “You could see agents bringing out duffel bags and boxes,” one Albuquerque resident said outside a storage complex where investigators photographed a white pickup near a unit door. Prosecutors said a minor child was present at one apartment during a search and that child welfare authorities were notified. Defense attorneys for the named defendants either declined to comment or had not responded to messages as of Tuesday afternoon.
As the case moves forward, prosecutors are expected to seek detention for key defendants and to transfer some proceedings among districts for efficiency. Initial appearances and detention hearings will be scheduled by federal magistrate judges in the coming days, with arraignments to follow on the indictment. If a grand jury returns superseding charges, additional counts could be added based on evidence analysis and lab results. The DEA said agents are still tracing the pill presses, precursor chemicals and financial flows, and the Justice Department signaled more arrests are possible as search warrant returns are reviewed and digital evidence is processed.
As of late Tuesday, the DEA said all seized contraband remains in federal custody and evidence processing continues. The next public milestone is expected when the lead defendants appear in court for detention rulings and when prosecutors file updated case summaries. A status update from investigators is anticipated after lab testing and asset tracking reports are complete.
Author note: Last updated December 1, 2025.