DEA Sting in Arizona Turns Into Shootout, Leads to Seizure Tens Of Thousands Of Fentanyl Pills

A drug bust in the state of Arizona took a dangerous turn when one of the suspects allegedly opened fire on law enforcement officers.

Border Report noted that the shooting occurred in the parking lot of a discount store in west Phoenix, where a Drug Enforcement Administration informant was waiting to receive a delivery of 50,000 fentanyl pills from a suspect.

According to documents filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, the pills, along with a "sample" of fentanyl powder, were meant to serve as the precursor to a larger drug purchase involving 150,000 synthetic opioid pills and up to one kilogram of powder.

Eduardo Valenzuela Lopez, one of the suspects, arrived at the location on Feb. 24 driving a red Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck. He allegedly showed the informant a bag containing fentanyl pills. At that point, investigators moved in on the vehicle and activated their emergency lights.

The situation escalated when Valenzuela, according to a DEA task force member, retrieved a handgun and "began shooting toward investigators and toward the store."

Authorities allege the suspect then pointed the weapon at the informant, who ran from the scene. A second suspect inside the pickup truck also got out and fled on foot, court records showed. Border Report noted there were no reports of anyone being struck by gunfire.

Amid the chaos, officers apprehended Valenzuela and forced him to the ground. The second man, identified as Jael Gonzalez Bañuelos, was taken into custody minutes later.

After securing the scene, investigators recovered a green handgun and the bag containing the fentanyl pills. A subsequent test confirmed that a sample of the pills tested positive for fentanyl.

According to court documents, Valenzuela told investigators he was promised $500 for helping facilitate the drug deal. Gonzalez gave a similar account, stating he was there to assist with the transaction but did not expect to be paid.

Both men have been charged with conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Their court appearances were pending as of Feb. 26, Border Report said.

Last month, officials in Arizona seized over a million pills of fentanyl in a single day, when Customs and Border Protection stopped three different vehicles as they attempted to smuggle the substance into the U.S.

One of them carried over half a million pills, while the other two were taking more than 400,000 and 100,000, respectively. The first one also had 29 pounds of heroin, 29 of cocaine and five pounds of meth.