Feds crush ‘historic’ ABQ-centered drug empire: Millions in drugs, cash seized

A sprawling fentanyl trafficking network stretching from Albuquerque to Salem, Oregon, has been shattered by federal authorities in what’s being called one of the largest operations of its kind in U.S. history.

The takedown, made public this week, culminated in a massive sweep across New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Oregon. Federal agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration seized staggering amounts of contraband: over 4 million fentanyl pills, $4.4 million in cash, 79 pounds of meth, along with heroin, cocaine, and more than 41 firearms, according to records from the U.S. District Court in Albuquerque.

At the helm of this massive enterprise, prosecutors say, was Heriberto Salazar Amaya, apprehended in Portland, Oregon. Five others are already in custody in Albuquerque, following a 12-count grand jury indictment against 14 suspects. The sweeping charges include conspiracy, drug distribution, and employing an illegal alien.

“Defendants ran a continuing criminal enterprise … and they did so across a large swath of the United States,” prosecutors stated in a motion pushing for continued detention of the suspects. The court filing, which included charts highlighting drug overdose spikes in the affected states, described the operation as devastating. Three defendants in Albuquerque have already been ordered held without bail, with more hearings to come.

“The nature and circumstances of the conspiracy are sobering,” the motion emphasized. “The destruction that occurred in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Colorado at the hands of the (Heriberto Salazar Amaya drug trafficking organization) mandate that defendants remain in custody pending trial.” Prosecutors didn’t mince words, accusing the group of “terrorizing five states while operating one of the largest fentanyl (drug trafficking organizations) in history.”

On Wednesday, defendants Cesar Acuna-Morena, Vincent Montoya, and David Altimirano Lopez appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Molzen in Albuquerque, all pleading not guilty. Fellow defendants Bruce Sedillo and David Anesi are also behind bars as the case moves forward.

Court documents noted that multiple defendants are Mexican nationals with “direct ties to Mexico,” though officials declined to provide further details this week.

The DEA’s probe dates back to 2024 and involved extensive tactics: surveillance, undercover buys, vehicle tracking, financial investigations, and intercepted communications.

According to prosecutors, the organization ran a slick and disciplined operation. Orders were placed and quickly dispatched by a fleet of couriers who followed detailed daily routes to deliver bulk shipments across cities including Denver, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salem, and Layton, Utah.

Monday’s Albuquerque raids uncovered shocking hauls: hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills stuffed in bins inside a storage unit, and at a residence tied to Montoya, agents found $300,000 in cash, 365,000 fentanyl pills, meth, cocaine, and 39 guns—including a high-powered sniper rifle.