COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Of the more than 100 people detained on suspicion of being in the country illegally after the major federal drug raid at an underground nightclub in Colorado Springs last month, 18 were ICE fugitives who had been previously ordered to be deported.
An ICE spokesperson could not comment on whether or not any of them have been deported since the raid.
The spokesperson said some of the people detained that night had serious criminal charges.
One person is being charged with theft, assault, and drugging a victim. Another is suspected of being a member of the Sinaloa Cartel.
One person has been convicted of smuggling heroin. One person attempted to smuggle 41 grams of meth into ICE custody by concealing it inside a body cavity.
The spokesperson says 86 people remain in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings.
Background Information
More than 300 law enforcement officers, local and federal, assisted the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Rocky Mountain Field Division on the morning of Sunday, April 27, with a major raid in Colorado Springs.
According to the DEA, 114 people in the country illegally were detained at what they say is an underground nightclub in Colorado Springs.
#DEA Rocky Mountain led a multi-agency enforcement operation along with our local and federal partners early this morning.@DHSgov has taken more than 100 illegal aliens into custody. Drugs and weapons have also been seized at this underground nightclub in Colorado Springs. pic.twitter.com/R4Smb3voAg
— DEARockyMountain (@DEAROCKYMTNDiv) April 27, 2025
ICE responded to take those individuals into custody.
The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) arrested two people on outstanding warrants. Their names and charges are below:
- Julio Santiesteban, 33 years old
- misdemeanor warrant from Adams County
- Pedro Trevizo-Perea, 29 years old
- misdemeanor out of Denver for third-degree assault, criminal mischief, child abuse
Drugs and weapons were seized from what appears a strip mall behind the Conoco on South Academy Boulevard. You can watch the moment the raid began below:
Watch The Moment DEA Agents Raided A Underground Nightclub
The DEA says that in the nightclub, they found the following:
- pink cocaine
- evidence of prostitution
- multiple firearms
The DEA estimates there were around 200 people inside the nightclub at the time of the raid, including more than a dozen U.S. active-duty service members.
On the Monday following the raid, officials with Fort Carson confirmed military members from their installation were present, and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division was investigating.
You can read their statement below:
Fort Carson leaders are aware of the Drug Enforcement Administration-led operation that occurred at an illegal night club in Colorado Springs early Sunday morning.
We acknowledge that there were some Fort Carson service members present at the location during the operation. Each person involved in this incident is presumed innocent until proven guilty. We will look at everyone’s situation on a case-by-case basis.
Illegal activities of any kind do not represent our military values. We will continue to work in coordination with our federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to ensure our community is safe.
Special Agent in Charge, Jonathan Pullen, with the DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division says those military service members were either patrons or working as armed security guards at the underground nightclub.
Pullen also says that Army Criminal Investigation Division is working with the DEA. Watch Pullen provide updates on the operation below:
Airport Road was blocked for several hours eastbound at the South Academy Boulevard intersection.
EPSO is currently assisting our federal partners at the DEA. Media inquiries will be addressed by the DEA PIO on scene. https://t.co/BBWEVM43XJ
— EPCSheriff (@EPCSheriff) April 27, 2025
Our crews at the scene that night were able to acquire video that shows a significant number of people detained and being questioned by police.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
For more background on DEA operations across Colorado, see Scripps News Denver's coverage below:
The operation is the latest in the DEA’s Colorado crackdown this year.
As the agency conducted four Denver-area operations on January 29, special agent in charge David Olesky said an uptick in enforcement is due to a “renewed sense of purpose” at the agency under President Donald Trump's administration.
“We’re getting absolutely all the resources that we need not only at the federal level but at the local level as well,” he said at the time. “And when it comes to immigration, that is just one of the tools in the toolbox that we’re going to be able to use to remove those violent criminals and drug traffickers from the communities.”
Derek Maltz, who stepped into the role of acting administrator of the DEA shortly after President Trump’s inauguration, told Scripps News Investigates that Colorado is “ground zero” for violent criminals in the U.S.
Maltz also said the state is home to the “command and control” of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA).
He said he believes criminals have taken advantage of vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the state, and the border policies of recent years have been too open and allowed for too many people to cross the U.S. border unaccounted for.
“We love immigration. It makes this country great. Diversity is critical to the success of America. But we have to have a system," he said.
The DEA has faced obstacles
While the agency touted more than 90 arrests over 12 Colorado operations in less than three weeks between late January and early February, the DEA admitted to Scripps News Denver Investigates that it expected more.
A multi-city federal operation on February 5 targeted more than 100 members of TdA but netted just one confirmed TdA arrest. Pullen said he believes the targeted criminals were feeling the pressure.
“What we found was that they weren't where we expected them to be," he said. “It's likely that the pressure that we've put on these folks over the last several weeks has encouraged them to hide more.”
- CONTEXT: Trump’s “border czar” said leaks from local media outlets blew the feds’ cover. Immigrant rights advocates told Scripps News Denver it was just a matter of preparedness.
But in some cases, even those who have been arrested haven’t been punished. An event billed as a “TdA invite-only party” in Adams County netted 49 arrests, but none of the suspects ended up facing charges.
Pullen said drugs and guns were found at the party, but that it was difficult to prove possession because of a chaotic scene.
Scripps News Denver's Landon Haaf contributed to this web story.
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Five law enforcement officers injured in an attempt to resolve a family disturbance on Saturday
What began as reports of a family disturbance in Monument, became a much scarier situation as five law enforcement officers were transported to the hospital after an explosion on Saturday night.
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