Houses raided for drugs in Thunderbird Farms

By Tim Howsare

October 27, 2011 - 10:19 am

Houses raided for drugs in Thunderbird Farms

A house on Brewer Road was raided by authorities this morning in a multi-agency drug sweep. Photo by Harry Hughes III

A multi-agency drug sweep was conducted this morning in the Thunderbird Farms area.

Investigators from the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office with agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations executed search and arrest warrants at a number of locations in and around Phoenix as part of a far-reaching investigation involving narcotics trafficking, according to PCSO.

A few officers were still at one house around 9 a.m. on Brewer Road off Papago Road, but the deputy said he could not say what was going on.

Elias Johnson, PCSO public information officer, said all the warrants have been issued and there will be more details on Monday.

“Due to ongoing investigative and operational sensitivities, we are not at liberty to disclose any additional details about the case at this time, but we expect to make further information available early next week,” Johnson said in a released statement.

Thunderbird Farms resident Harry Hughes said he witnessed some of the activity and sent an email to InMaricopa.

“(They) are raiding homes in Thunderbirds Farms North and South,” he said.

He indicated the Maricopa Police Department also was involved.

Hughes said he shot a few photos, but was stopped by officers asking why he was taking pictures.

A few residents commented on InMaricopa's Facebook page they heard gunshots in the area around midnight.

Johnson said the loud noises were from flashbangs, which are nonlethal stun grenades.

- Have a story idea? Please email it to News@InMaricopa.com.

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32 comments

I heard a ton of sirens around 12-1 am last night.. I guess this was the reason

Actually no. I was on my way to the office this morning at 5:30am and I saw the convoy of police vehicles heading out to Thunderbird Farms.

yes thats just before i shot the video i posted the link too, despite the downplay, it was not just smoke canisters going off.. to wake me up 7 doors down, it was a lot more!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAd99DI3SjI

How come no name or alter ego attached to the above comment. Was this made my an anonymous source or maybe part of the local DEA??

It is this post, the one beginning with Actually... not the one by MasterX.

I have no idea why my name does not show. I am logged in and my handle shold be showing as lawabidingcitizen.

Bears fan???

I love all bears. Just dont put a thorn in there paw, they pretend to chase you till you pull it out.

Im a gardener by trade.

Video of the scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAd99DI3SjI

Did you open a can of beer while you were driving...lol, cracked windshield and open container... JK Do you know if it was the Home right at the T that they busted?

If i had been drinking a beer when i drove past i would have stopped and offered them some! lol

The video doesn't really show, uh, anything...and judging from the neighborhood, 7 doors down is pretty far down the street.

I can see this house from my barn...at 540am concussion type bombs went off...they rattled my windows, scared my kids awake and spooked my horses...crazy really. The video he was uneventful for sure and hours after the fact, but what is your point about 7 houses down?

This is because real life happens. And no I cant drink beer, I take chemotherapy.

Must have been the fire then at 12:00!

my wife saw the cops grouping up at 6pm last night she thought that it was just like one house but come to find out they busted one on warren street one papago before ralston and there was like 3 or 4 more houses wow. i fill bad for the kid's that people have. the kids are going to be all mested up and only one to blame is the parents

I was advised by a law enforcement source that 9 homes were raided as of 11:30 this morning. I have posted photos including a load vehicle containing marijuana on my facebook page. (Album titled "Narco Tourism")

Now if we only knew what your name was to look at them on FB

Harry L. Hughes III, the guy that contributed the photo for this article.

There was another sweep on Mayer blvd in T-bird. I woke up to gunshots and things that sounded like bombs. There was about 20 diff. police, under cover police and boarder patrol down my street and a helicopter flying over the house. Great way to start the morning! Definitely not the way I wanted to wake up but I am glad to see the police doing something good!

Thanks Vandal for the report and to inmaricopa for putting it on.
Now, perhaps more people will believe us and not think we are "just crying wolf". There is a severe drug smuggling problem in rural Pinal County and this area in particular. We in Hidden Valley have been seeing this kind of enforcement action since January. And TB Farms is just north of us. W O L F !

Build that dang electrified fence! Sure sounds good but it won't stop the drugs coming up from Mexico and points south. Kind of like that 9-9-9 plan. Oh wait I think it is now 9-0-9. LOL

educate yourself......the fence is a joke. Not to mention a huge waste of money....

Of course it is. Sarcasm my friend.

a fence might not be "THE" answer but it wont make it easier for the mules and illegals..

The answer is pulling the national guardsmen in, and having them actually guard the nation!

god forbid we give the national guard some humvees and helos and have them do armed, locked and loaded patrols on the border. We can roll two tyrant nations known as Iraq and Afghanistan, but we cannot stop people from crossing our borders? The only reason the borders arent secure is because politicians dont want them secure. if the US Armed Forces got the call to secure the damn border, itd be secure

well said, and here is a thought for you.....our government needs illegals...so do our farmers and basically every aspect of what works here in Arizona....Border programs are making shitloads of money and giving jobs to many, so why would they secure it? Legalize marijuana and get rid of the damn drug smugglers....supply and demand is obvious. Tax growers instead of letting those assholes make money off of sick people in the name of medical marijuana. Would also help our economy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khCokQt--l4