20 arrested in drug and firearm investigation in Arizona

PHOENIX (CNN, KYMA/KECY) - More than 20 people are in custody after a multi-agency drug bust in Arizona, and a large amount of illegal drugs, money, and firearms were seized in "Operation Double Down."

"These are the drugs that don't make it to your community, to your school, to your neighborhood, to your kids. These are their lives," said Cheri Oz, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Phoenix Field Division.

A mountain of pills, powder, cash, and guns.

The Phoenix Police Department (PPD), the Attorney General's (AG) Office, and DEA touted their impressive seven-month seizure, Operation Double Down.

From April to November 2024, the agencies worked together to target an international drug ring and their distributors.

"Arizona is not a great place to be a criminal. We, working together, are coming for you. We are tenacious. We are relentless, and we will not stop," Oz shared.

Thousands of hours of surveillance and hundreds of warrants, with 25 arrests made from cartel suppliers to local distributors.

The source: "It's coming here to Phoenix as a hub because of our proximity to the border. From here it is distributed to other parts of the country."

While impressive, PPD says this operation and amount of drugs they've seized isn't unique. It's happened across the state.

But in total, there's 1.6 million worth of counterfeit fentanyl, hundreds of pounds of meth, heroin, cocaine, $210,000 of laundered cash, guns, and cars.

The totals add up to a success, but Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes shared what future federal seizures will look like with funding on the line: "I want to be clear that President Trump's executive order freezing federal funds absolutely impacted and would have continued to impact operations exactly like this one."

"Not only we losing resources from a manpower perspective, but certainly the financial support that comes, that supports these types of investigations can be harmed," said one Phoenix police officer.

Mayes is pushing President Donald Trump for more help with the state's drug crisis.

"We need more DEA agents in the state of Arizona. Many folks don't know this, but states like New York and Florida have three times or more, more DEA agents than Arizona. That is ridiculous," Mayes expressed.

Now that the arrests have been made, the AG's Office intends to prosecute.