More than 100 people suspected of being in the country illegally were detained early Sunday, April 27, following a raid on an underground nightclub in Colorado Springs, authorities said. The Rocky Mountain division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced via social media that it executed the raid at 4 a.m. with more than 300 federal law enforcement officers and local authorities.
DEA Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen told local media that more than 200 people were inside the club, and 114 were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Others were arrested on outstanding warrants or turned away without being detained.
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“This is an underground, illegal nightclub, and what was happening inside was significant drug trafficking, prostitution, crimes of violence,” Pullen said, adding, “We seized a number of guns in there.”
Among the drugs found were pink cocaine, or “tusi.”
“As you may suspect, when the cops showed up at the door, most of the drugs hit the floor,” Pullen said. “We did find some cocaine, it looks like some pink cocaine or the tusi, and there was a little bit of other drugs; we haven’t had time to test everything, but there were dozens of small packages of drugs that they have recovered so far, that I have personally seen.”
More than a dozen active-duty military members were either working as armed security or attending the club as patrons, and were involved in some of the alleged crimes, according to Pullen. The Army Criminal Investigation Division is collaborating with the DEA to determine the next steps for these service members.
