Colorado Springs DEA executes drug raid, alleged Mexican cartel members distributing drugs
Mackenzie Stafford
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On Thursday, a spokesperson with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confirmed two search warrants were executed at the Village East Apartments on Hathaway Drive in Colorado Springs.
The DEA says the raid happened Thursday morning. They allege the apartments were being used to distribute drugs by Mexican cartel members.
During the execution of the warrants, agents say they seized a handgun, fentanyl pills, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, in addition to a large amount of money.
The agency says 5 individuals were arrested inside the apartments for immigration violations and transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The DEA says it is committed to removing individuals who are “poisoning our community with deadly drugs.”
The DEA tells KRDO13 they can not confirm if the 5 people taken into custody are cartel members, as they say it’s an ongoing investigation.
KRDO13 reached out to the Village East Apartments, who said they had no comment.
A coworker of one of the men who’s now in ICE custody tells KRDO13 the man is a hard worker trying to grow his family.
Video of the raid shows masked agents on the ground and some in the back of a truck.
KRDO13 spoke with a neighbor who asked not to use her name, since she has family who fear for their safety. She said that around 7 a.m. Thursday morning, she heard the sound of flash bangs.
“I heard really loud bangs. We thought it was fireworks. And we came out of our apartment to see a heavy ICE presence,” explained the neighbor.
She says as a mother, watching what happened this morning was incredibly hard.
“They put the mom on the ground, put her in shackles in front of her children. Children were screaming. It broke my heart to have to deal with that. Because, like I said, some of my family’s not from here. So, yeah, it’s really hard,” she recounted.
The Village East Apartments are directly across the street from Christa McAuliffe Elementary School.
“My son went to the school across the street for his whole school life. He’s in second grade now, so going on three years. It’s quiet over here. Everybody minds their business. They go to work, they take care of their kids, and we come home. Never. Not one time did I ever think that there was anything like that going on here,” she explained.
The neighbor tells KRDO13 the raid was very unsettling.
“I was definitely scared. Having family that’s not from the U.S., it’s definitely scary to have to call family, let them know not to come visit me. Because I’m afraid that something’s going to happen to them,” she shared.