Arizona Man Charged in Isleta Resort & Casino Fentanyl Sting
Posted on: November 21, 2025, 04:37h.
Last updated on: November 21, 2025, 04:37h.
- Undercover officer arranged fentanyl pill buy at tribal casino.
- Holmes arrived with 10,000 pills sealed in vacuum packs.
- Multi-agency arrest recovered cash, pills, and confirmed identity.
An Arizona man was busted at New Mexico’s Isleta Resort and Casino in October for attempting to sell ten “boats” of “beans” – translation: 10,000 fentanyl pills – as part of a sting operation orchestrated by tribal police with the help of federal and state agencies.
In September 2025, an undercover officer with the Isleta Police Department (IPD) and other investigators identified a Facebook account of a suspected drug dealer, “Minkx Apesquad.”
They determined the account belonged to Daron Andrey Holmes Jr. after the account holder posted photos and other identifying information on the page, according to a complaint filed in the US District Court for the District of New Mexico.
Bean Counter
The undercover IPD agent then DM’d the account, saying “Ayy yooo, you gonna b coming thru the 505 anytime soon? I need sum dat good [bean emoji].”
“Beans” is a street euphemism for fentanyl pills, according to the complaint.
On October 29, the undercover agent received a reply from the “Minkx Apesquad” account, stating: “Hit me asap.” The UCA agent responded, and the two exchanged phone numbers.
The agent continued communicating with the individual believed to be Holmes throughout the day and negotiated a deal to buy ten “boats” for $10,000.
“Boats” is underground slang for bags containing roughly 1,000 fentanyl pills each.
Holmes arranged to meet in the parking lot of the Isleta Resort and Casino on the Pueblo of Isleta in Bernalillo County, N.M., according to the complaint. The UCA agent told him to park next to the UCA’s undercover vehicle.
This prompted numerous law enforcement agencies to set up surveillance around the casino, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the US Marshals Service (USMS), New Mexico State Police (NMSP), and the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators identified the target vehicle as a black Kia registered to Holmes. At approximately 6:32 p.m., officers saw a black Kia with an Arizona license plate pull into the meeting area, according to court records. The UCA confirmed that the driver matched the description of the individual they had been speaking with.
Spill the Beans
Shortly after parking next to the undercover vehicle, Holmes got out of the driver’s seat, made eye contact with an approaching officer, and began walking away. Agents moved in and arrested him. Holmes was taken to the ground during the arrest but did not suffer any injury.
When agents searched Holmes, they found he was carrying a large amount of cash. There was more cash in his car, along with multiple vacuum-sealed bags in the trunk filled with blue pills stamped “M-30” – fentanyl totaling 4,102 grams, according to court filings.
A federal jury in Albuquerque Tuesday charged Holmes with one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
He faces up to life in prison if convicted, according to the US Attorney’s Office. No trial date has been set.
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