A multi-agency raid headed by the FBI served 16 federal warrants throughout the city in early morning takedowns that procured one of the largest money and drug busts in Albuquerque on Thursday. It is estimated more than a million fentanyl pills were recovered as well as $4 million in cash, along with other drugs and assets, bringing a total worth of more than $10 million, according to Albuquerque Police Department.
APD conducted a joint investigation with partnering agencies into a Drug Trafficking Organization throughout Albuquerque. This multi-agency response resulted seizures of $10 million worth of narcotics, cash, and assets. pic.twitter.com/w0mIMSVnLO
— Albuquerque Police Department (@ABQPOLICE) September 3, 2022
The warrants were related to an ongoing investigation by the FBI’s Violent Crime Gang Task Force that reveals a larger problem of California gangs flocking to Albuquerque in search of more lenient laws, according to the Albuquerque Journal. These street gangs are now teaming up with prison gangs, attributing to recent murders and the flooding of the streets of Albuquerque as well as federal prisons with fentanyl and methamphetamine.
The raids were simultaneously executed and resulted in 142 pounds of methamphetamine, 28 firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, ballistic vests, marijuana and suboxone also being recovered. Assets such as a Corvette, 4X4 truck, four-wheeler and motorcycle were additionally seized by police. The largest quantities were found at the 1400 block of Atrisco SW, where a Jesse Young was arrested, but raids were made at 15 Albuquerque locations. Young and 14 other people were identified as key players in large-scale criminal activity, and five total were arrested.
It is estimated that one in four fentanyl pills have a fatal dose, which is 100 times stronger than morphine. More than 150 people die per day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl in the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control.
An FBI spokesman said local agencies who helped execute the raids included the Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Albuquerque Police Department; Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office; New Mexico State Police; Valencia County Sheriff’s Office; and the Rio Rancho Police Department.
