On Saturday, October 29, 2022, Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) Gang & Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission (GIITEM) detectives served a search warrant on a Tucson-area property following an investigation into allegations the residents were engaged in the sale of firearms and the distribution of illegal drugs.

During a search of the property, detectives arrested two suspects and located the following drugs:

• 20.7 pounds of methamphetamine
• A quarter pound of multicolored fentanyl pills
• 2.3 pounds of blue fentanyl pills
• .0051 pounds of cocaine

Detectives also seized 22 firearms, including:

• 8 rifles, one equipped with a suppressor and two scoped rifles
• 1 MAC-11 (machine pistol) equipped with a suppressor
• 6 shotguns
• 7 semi-automatic pistols

The following weapons and accessories were also seized:

• 80 magazines, including multiple 30-round mags and high-capacity drum magazines
• 7,153 rounds of ammunition
• 3 bulletproof vests
• 6 smoke grenades
• 1 door-breaching battering ram

The suspects are identified as Tucson residents Francisco F. Abril, 34, and Gloria A. Ortiz, 43.

Abril was booked into the Pima County Jail on charges including possession of a narcotic drug for sale, possession of a dangerous drug for sale, possession of a firearm during a drug offense, possession of drug paraphernalia, endangerment, possession of a weapon by a prohibited person, illegal control of an enterprise and conspiracy.

Ortiz was booked into jail on two counts of endangerment.

PEACH SPRINGS, Ariz. -- On Tuesday, November 1, 2022, the Hualapai Tribe and the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) entered into an agreement for mutual aid and the cross-commissioning of AZDPS troopers on the Hualapai Reservation.

The agreement provides for the orderly and effective enforcement of criminal and traffic laws on the Hualapai Reservation through this mutual aid agreement between Hualapai Police Department and AZDPS.

“This historic signing is a memorial testament to the mutual agreements between tribes and state governments,” said Hualapai Tribal Vice Chairman Shelton Crozier. “We are looking forward to the prosperity of working across the jurisdictional boundaries to improve public safety.”

The Hualapai Tribe is a sovereign nation located in northwestern Arizona. The reservation encompasses more than one million acres along 108 miles of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. The Hualapai Reservation occupies parts of three Arizona counties, including Coconino, Yavapai, and Mohave counties.

Phoenix — The Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) has been awarded over $527,000 in grant funding from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS). The grants will help with overtime costs for troopers during driving under the influence (DUI) enforcement details, targeted distracted driving enforcement operations, seatbelt enforcement details, collision reduction details, and the street racing task force. The grant funding will also support overtime staffing in Operational Communications and the State Crime Laboratory.

Funds will also be directed to the training of additional Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) and will also allow for the purchase of Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) speed measurement devices and other speed measuring radars to be used for traffic enforcement by troopers.

GOHS has allocated grant funds in support of these programs:

• $40,000 for seatbelt enforcement details
• $100,000 for DUI enforcement
• $30,000 for distracted driving enforcement
• $152,369 for STEP speed enforcement and equipment
• $30,000 for the Street Racing Task Force
• $70,000 in overtime funding for the state crime lab
• $15,000 for dispatch support for DUI & street racing enforcement
• $90,000 for DRE training, materials & supplies

“Speed, impaired driving, aggressive driving, and seatbelt usage continue to be the leading causes of serious injury and fatal collisions,” said Lieutenant Colonel Deston Coleman Jr., Assistant Director of the Highway Patrol Division at AZDPS. “Thanks to the continued support of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, state troopers will be able to increase enforcement and make the roadways safer for the motoring public.”