More than 100 illegal immigrants were arrested in a dramatic early-morning raid after law enforcement stormed an underground nightclub in Colorado.
The bust, led by the Rocky Mountain Division of the DEA with help from local police and federal agents, went down around 3 a.m. Sunday. Dozens of armed officers surrounded the building as partiers tried to flee. Women in dresses and heels looked stunned, while some guests dropped to the ground with their hands up as cops pointed weapons and shouted commands.
One woman, caught mid-phone call, dropped to the floor as officers bashed through the club’s door. In another moment caught on video, a man ran out, threw his hands in the air, and dropped to his knees. Another partygoer dropped his beer before surrendering.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:
Sirens blared in the background as officers ordered everyone to the ground. Some partygoers tried to run, but most eventually complied, raising their hands and kneeling on the pavement.
The raid was part of a larger investigation into drug trafficking, prostitution, and violent crimes tied to the club, according to the DEA. The nightclub was operating illegally in Colorado Springs, not far from Aurora — an area known as a stronghold for the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Authorities said the club was a hot spot for dangerous groups like Tren de Aragua, MS-13, and Hell’s Angels. DEA Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen said it’s unclear how many gang members were inside during the raid.
Shockingly, more than a dozen active-duty service members were found inside too — some partying, others working security. The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division has now launched its own probe into the soldiers’ involvement.
Most of the people arrested were in the U.S. illegally and have been turned over to ICE. Officers also seized drugs and weapons during the raid. Among the drugs recovered was “pink cocaine,” or “tusi,” a party drug popular in South America. Investigators are still testing at least a dozen packages found at the scene.
“Colorado Springs is waking up to a safer city this Sunday morning,” Pullen said after the raid.
Dramatic footage captured the chaos, showing officers surrounding the building and smashing through a glass window to get inside. Guns drawn, they ordered people to surrender immediately.
Pullen added that while many detainees will face federal immigration charges, few will face drug charges because it’s hard to prove possession in a raid situation. Some of those arrested also had outstanding warrants.
This major bust comes right on the heels of another huge immigration operation in Florida, where ICE recently arrested nearly 800 illegal immigrants as part of a statewide crackdown called “Operation Tidal Wave.”
During that sweep, 275 people were arrested who already had final removal orders from immigration courts. Among those caught were Jose Sanchez Reyes, a Colombian convicted of homicide; Rafael Juarez Cabrera, a Guatemalan and alleged MS-13 member who illegally re-entered the U.S. three times; Russian immigrant Savva Klishchevskii, wanted for vehicular manslaughter; and Honduran Aron Isaak Morazan-Izaguirre, a suspected 18th Street Gang member.
ICE used their 287(g) authority in both operations, which lets local law enforcement help detain illegal immigrants. Under the Trump administration, this tactic has been heavily promoted to speed up deportations.
“This is one of the first large-scale missions we’ve ever done like this,” ICE Director Todd Lyons told ABC News. “We brought a ‘whole-of-government’ approach with cooperative jurisdictions that want to help ICE secure communities and remove public safety threats.”
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how the hell do those cops sleep at night? They are behaving like Nazi’s.
Everyone sleeps better at night, thanks to the Superior cooperation between ICE & Local law enforcement. I want the drugs & criminal illegals Out of My Country.
Larry those cops are doing their jobs and cleaning up the filth!
GREAT
Bravo. The Democratic Party did not learn a lesson from the recent election and is willing to continue the hate filled efforts to destroy the current Government with suits and efforts to block the current governments legal actions. Instead of trying to protecting the US from becoming a Third World mess with accompanying coup after coup, corruption, and a population of people who concoct any story to gain admission to the US, the Party continues in unbelievable hate filled attacks on a legally elected President.
Quote: “Most of the people arrested were in the U.S. illegally and have been turned over to ICE.”
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And the ones that were found to be here legally, and not criminals? What happened to them?? It says “most”‘ which means “not all” which means some were not found to be illegal criminals.