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FBI Denver Division works with local law enforcement agencies to arrest suspected cartel member

FBI arrest suspected cartel member
Posted 7:43 PM, Mar 14, 2025

COLORADO SPRINGS — On Thursday afternoon, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Denver Division worked alongside Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Denver, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, the Pueblo Police Department, and the Colorado Springs Police Department, to arrest a suspected cartel member.

FBI agents had a federal warrant for Omar Valdez-Lerma, on charges of re-entry after deportation.

According to the FBI, Valdez-Lerma has previously been charged with illegal re-entry after being deported in 2018 and 2021.

Officials believe that Valdez-Lerma is a member of a cartel that has been labeled as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), but did not specify which group.

Valdez-Lerma is currently being held in an ICE detention facility in Denver.



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