A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) raid on a so-called “underground nightclub” in Colorado Springs led to the detention of 114 undocumented immigrants, according to authorities.
The raid, which took place late Saturday into early Sunday, followed a months-long investigation. DEA Special Agent Jonathan Pullen revealed that over 100 individuals were detained, with some arrested based on active state warrants. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that two of those arrested had warrants out for their arrest.
Inside the nightclub, Pullen said, investigators found guns, drugs, and more than a dozen active-duty service members either posing as patrons or working as armed security.
“When law enforcement arrived, most of the drugs hit the floor, and we did find cocaine,” Pullen explained. “We haven’t had time to test everything, but there were dozens of small packages.” Army Criminal Investigation Division personnel were also involved in the raid, assisting with the investigation.
Video footage posted by the DEA showed officers in tactical gear surrounding the venue and using both English and Spanish to warn those inside to exit peacefully.
According to Pullen, the club, located in a strip mall, had been under surveillance for months and was a hub for drug trafficking and sex work. “What was happening inside was significant drug trafficking, prostitution, and crimes of violence,” he said. Several guns were seized during the raid.
Pullen added that the investigation is ongoing and authorities have more operations pending in the city.
President Donald Trump shared a video of the raid on his Truth Social account, claiming some of the individuals detained were murderers and violent criminals. However, the DEA has not confirmed any murder charges among those detained. Trump called the raid “a big operation” targeting some of the “worst people illegally in our country.”
Bondi also claimed that members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and the MS-13 gang were among those detained. Both gangs have been labeled as violent threats to the U.S., and the raid reportedly involved surveillance of these individuals, along with suspected Hells Angels motorcycle gang members.
The Colorado Rapid Response Network, an organization that aids immigrant communities, urged families of those detained to inform their relatives that they have the right to remain silent, not sign any documents, and request legal representation.
One partygoer, Jose Dominguez, told NBC affiliate KUSA of Denver, that law enforcement handcuffed him and others until their legal status was confirmed. “Then they let me go,” Dominguez said. “As if nothing happened.”
