by Staff Reporter | Mar 21, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Arizona is proving to be a key bridge between deadly drug traffickers and Americans.
Out of the nearly five million fentanyl pills and powder seized in its most recent enforcement action by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), about three million came from Arizona.
The DEA disclosed this discovery within its action, the second phase of Operation Fentanyl Free America, in an exclusive report to ABC15. The second phase occurred from early January to early February.
The 4.7 million fentanyl pills and 3,000 pounds of fentanyl powder amounted to over 57 million deadly doses of fentanyl. The DEA also seized 147,800 pounds of cocaine, 21,000 pounds of meth, over 26 million meth pills, 1,200 pounds of heroin, 65,000 pounds of illicit marijuana, and over 1,500 firearms.
Arizona consistently leads in fentanyl pill seizures, per the DEA. Special Agent in Charge Apolonio Ruiz said Arizona’s border remains very accessible to cartels and their drug traffickers.
“The Sinaloa Cartel, they have tentacles not only on the south side but pushed over here on the north side. They bring cell members here to develop and start shops in these areas and start pushing the drugs into different areas of Arizona,” said Ruiz.
The DEA plans to roll out more phases of Operation Fentanyl Free America, and agents will target other illicit drugs in addition to fentanyl — heroin, meth, and cocaine — as well as the money and equipment used in the criminal enterprise.
In the fall of 2024, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized the largest singular fentanyl seizure in CBP history: approximately four million fentanyl pills.
The seizure weighed over 1,000 pounds.
Last January, three men from Arizona were arrested in Wisconsin over the largest fentanyl seizure in that state’s history. Over 40 pounds of fentanyl disguised as prescription medication were taken. The drugs were estimated to be worth nearly $6 million.
Two of the three men, Dylan and Trevor Hock, were convicted. Dylan received 10 years of prison and 10 years of extended supervision. Trevor also received 10 years in prison. The third man, Jose Gamez, is awaiting trial.
Drug traffickers don’t just use Arizona as a front door to bring in fentanyl and other illicit drugs to the rest of the country.
Fentanyl emerged rapidly during the pandemic as the top drug epidemic in Arizona, then the nation. Fentanyl overtook meth as the deadliest drug in the state. Fentanyl deaths increased by nearly 5,000 percent since 2015.
At present, an average of over three people die every day in Maricopa County due to fentanyl. Similarly, over five people die from opioid overdoses throughout the state, most due to fentanyl.
Last year, there were over 4,900 verified non-fatal opioid overdose events. There were over 2,000 deaths.
The totals for 2025 marked an increase from 2024. Non-fatal opioid overdose events were about 4,000, and there were just under 1,700 opioid deaths.
So far in 2026, there have been over 600 verified non-fatal opioid overdose events and 30 confirmed opioid deaths.
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by Staff Reporter | Jan 26, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
An OnlyFans influencer based out of Phoenix with ties to the cartel has gone missing in Mexico.
20-year-old Nicole Pardo Molina was apparently kidnapped while in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico last week. Cartels operate heavily out of Sinaloa.
Video from Pardo Molina’s Tesla Cybertruck showed two armed men approach and force her into another vehicle, a stolen white Toyota Corolla, at gunpoint. Pardo Molina’s boutique sold merchandise bearing depictions of cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
Pardo Molina drove a distinctive purple Tesla that stood out in Culiacan. Pardo Molina split her time between Phoenix and the area of Sinaloa where her father was reportedly from. Pardo Molina lived in a more affluent neighborhood within Culiacan. Blog Del Narco reported Pardo Molina was originally from an area linked to a certain faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, La Mayiza. Pardo Molina’s apparent cartel support aligned with the enemies of La Mayiza: Los Chapitos, the other Sinaloan Cartel faction.
Mexican authorities told El Pais that their initial investigations revealed at least three men were involved. The kidnappers allegedly threw tire spikes at Pardo Molina’s vehicle to strand her and force her into their vehicle.
Users online have speculated whether the kidnapping was staged. Others have argued the kidnapping was real, and that La Mayiza were behind it.
An anonymous source told AZ Family that Pardo Molina once operated a boutique in Phoenix, but closed it down after the windows were broken.
Pardo Molina also operated an online storefront, “Nicholette Shop,” though the site appears to have been taken down.
A “narcocorrido” band popular in Mexico, Grupo Arriesgado, wrote a song about Pardo Molina in 2022, “La Muchacha del Salado,” after she commissioned it for her 16th birthday. Pardo Molina paid $5,000 for the song.
The song, which amassed nearly 30 million views and over 100,000 likes, gave her the initial boost to the influencer platform she has maintained.
Narcocorrido translates to “drug ballad”; these songs focus on drug trafficking and real-world events which disclose cartel crime. Grupo Arriesgado has been associated with the Sinaloa Cartel. Back in 2023, the band was run out of Tijuana by a warring cartel, the New Generation Jalisco Cartel.
Pardo Molina launched businesses after dropping out of school at 16 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The song implies Pardo Molina had involvement in cartel activities, referring to her involvement in “the business” from a young age.
Another Spanish narcocorrido artist, Manuel Rodriguez, released a song about Pardo Molina last year.
Another Mexican social media influencer, Atziri Valeria Marquez, was murdered last May during a TikTok live stream. Valeria Marquez was shot while on camera in her salon in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.
Last June, U.S. authorities named Marquez’s former romantic partner at the time, Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, a ranking member of the New Generation Jalisco Cartel, as a suspect in her murder. The Treasury Department made their announcement as part of sanctions against Ruiz Velasco and four other New Generation Jalisco Cartel members.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Apr 24, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
In a post on Facebook, the Arizona Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol announced that two suspects were arrested after another train robbery in northern Arizona resulted in the theft of a shipment of Nike shoes. As reported by Fox 10 Phoenix, the arrest took place earlier that week along the Interstate 40 between Kingman and Williams, AZ.
In the press release issued Friday, the AZDPS stated, “Several days ago, Arizona State Troopers working I-40 between Kingman and Williams were notified of a train robbery. State Troopers located one of the involved vehicles and arrested the driver. Federal Law Enforcement Agents located a second vehicle and suspect and arrested them also. The two suspects were booked into jail on multiple charges.”
As reported by Fox, Arizona has seen an uptick in train robberies in recent months, with a prominent example coming in January, which saw investigators reveal ties to the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel. In congressional testimony, Republican Senator Todd Young of Indiana described the robbery saying, “Investigators have found ties to the Mexican cartel. On January 30 of this year, over $440,000 of Nike shoes were stolen off of a BNSF train. Air brakes were cut as it traveled on tracks north of Phoenix, Arizona. Federal officials have linked this to a federal cartel operating in Sinaloa.”
According to AZCentral, the cargo stolen last week also contained stolen Nike footwear, however, the full value of the stolen goods was not released as of this report. It is known, however, that both vehicles were “full of stolen Nikes,” per AZDPS.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
