The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reported on May 4 that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Cristel Daniela Cruz-Banegas, a Honduran national convicted of distribution of fentanyl in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
The DHS announcement is part of ICE’s weekend operations targeting individuals charged with or convicted of serious crimes, including drug offenses, assault, manslaughter, murder, and child-related sex crimes. Nearly 70% of ICE arrests involve noncitizens who are charged with or convicted of crimes in the United States, according to another DHS press release.
Cruz-Banegas pleaded guilty to fentanyl distribution after federal investigators tied her to sales in the San Francisco area. Federal raids in November 2024 recovered more than 35 pounds of fentanyl, $430,000 in cash and a gun. Prosecutors said Cruz-Banegas made between $5,000 and $11,000 per day from fentanyl sales while wearing an ankle monitor, as reported by SF Public Safety News.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security oversees federal work related to border security, immigration enforcement, cybersecurity and emergency response. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a DHS component, conducts immigration enforcement and removal operations, according to the department website.
