US Drug Enforcement officers detain over 200 people following raid on unlicensed nightclub in Colorado

US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents claim they have detained “over 200 people” following a raid on an unlicensed nightclub in Colorado yesterday (Sunday, April 27).

According to ABC News, officers entered an “underground nightclub” in Colorado Springs at 3:45AM as part of a “multi-agency enforcement operation” between “around 10 federal agencies” alongside local police; the operation utilised an armoured vehicle, drones and helicopters for the operation.

The venue reportedly had over 300 people inside, 114 of which were undocumented migrants who have now been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.

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The DEA also claimed to have seized “drugs and weapons” from inside, with Attorney General Pamela Bondi adding in a statement that the venue had been “frequented by Tda and MS-13 terrorists. Cocaine, meth, and pink cocaine was seized”.

According to ABC News, officials claim to have found “evidence of prostitution and suspect human trafficking was at play at the nightclub.”

In a statement to Denver7, the US Army confirmed that a number of active servicemen from nearby base Fort Carson were found at the venue, but have not confirmed how many were arrested or if they will be charged.

“Army CID is aware of this matter and is currently conducting a joint investigation with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which is the lead agency,” the statement reads. “As this is an ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide additional information at this time.”

Mike Moon, the property’s owner, told Denver7 that he had no idea the venue was being used as an illegal nightclub.

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“I’ve never even seen a lot of trash in the parking lot to even suspect that anything like an after-hours nightclub is going on. So, it’s pretty shocking.”

“It’s shocking to me that in this political climate that something like this was even happening and that people thought this was a good idea to do something like this,” he added.

According to officials, the venue had been built as “an events centre” complete with a stage and a bar — though before the raid it did not have an alcohol license.

Megan Townsend is Mixmag’s Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter