SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Ariz. (KGUN) — Thousands of people and vehicles cross the U.S.-Mexico border daily, moving commercial goods, produce and, in some cases, illicit drugs.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is working to stop the flow of methamphetamine and fentanyl into the United States, tracking shipments from the border to destinations across the country.
Apolonio “Polo” Ruiz, special agent in charge of the DEA's Phoenix Field Division, said the agency's focus is on identifying and dismantling trafficking networks.
“Our job is to put people in jail,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz said drug trafficking has increasingly shifted toward synthetic drugs, including methamphetamine and fentanyl. He said their production costs and effects make them attractive to traffickers.
“It gives you a better high and a longer high and it's cheaper,” Ruiz said.
Arizona remains a key distribution corridor, with drugs entering through border areas including Nogales, Douglas and San Luis. From there, shipments may move to Tucson and Phoenix before being transported to other parts of the country.
“From there we identify members before we even go out there and start doing surveillance,” Ruiz said.
The DEA seized 17.8 million fentanyl pills in Arizona during fiscal year 2026, down from 19 million in fiscal year 2025, according to Ruiz. The 2026 fiscal year ran from Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2026.
Ruiz said Arizona has led the nation in fentanyl pill seizures for five years. However, he said authorities are seeing more fentanyl in powder form, which can be used to manufacture counterfeit pills inside the United States.
“Why ship it this way [pills] where you can bring it in powder form and take it to your clandestine lab and all you need is a pill press,” Ruiz said.
Investigators use databases, surveillance and partnerships with other law enforcement agencies to identify cartel members and trace drug shipments. Ruiz said the Sinaloa Cartel operates in the Sonora region, with factions associated with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
“Here in Sonora is the Sinaloa cartel, but with that Sinaloa Cartel you have two factions. You have the Mayo faction and then you have, also the Chapo faction,” Ruiz said.
In one investigation, authorities tracked a shipment from Nogales to Tucson and then to Detroit, Michigan, using a controlled delivery to identify people receiving the drugs.
Ruiz said Arizona serves as both a transit point for drugs headed elsewhere and a destination for drugs that remain in local communities.
“Definitely because as we've identified here in Arizona it's a transit point but it also stays here,” he said.
Traffickers use different methods to move drugs across the border, Ruiz said. These can include hidden compartments built into vehicles and throwing packages over the border fence.
“They'll find all the nooks and crannies where they can actually build a compartment,” Ruiz said.
The DEA also works to seize assets obtained through drug trafficking. Ruiz said proceeds from asset forfeitures can be shared with state and local law enforcement agencies to help purchase equipment and support community drug education.
Ruiz said the agency focuses on the people transporting and distributing illicit drugs, rather than people struggling with addiction.
“We do not go after the addicts, we go after the people that are transporting these illicit drugs,” Ruiz said.
More information about the Fentanyl Free America program is available here.
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