Edgar David Felipe-Mendez/Guatemala/Drug Trafficking

On May 8, 2025, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) announced the arrest of Edgar David Felipe-Mendez, a Guatemalan national who was living unlawfully in the United States. Felipe-Mendez, who had a prior conviction for drug trafficking, was apprehended in Red Wing, Minnesota, by ERO officers following the completion of his criminal sentence. His arrest followed coordination with local authorities in Goodhue County.

Felipe-Mendez had been convicted in the Goodhue County District Court of conspiracy to sell heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl. The conviction stemmed from a 2022 investigation that identified him as part of a narcotics distribution network operating in southeastern Minnesota. Law enforcement executed a series of search warrants in connection with the investigation, which uncovered a large quantity of fentanyl-laced pills and methamphetamine, as well as digital evidence showing coordinated distribution efforts. Felipe-Mendez was charged with multiple felony counts and ultimately pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges as part of a plea agreement.

After serving his sentence in a Minnesota correctional facility, Felipe-Mendez was transferred to ICE custody pursuant to a previously lodged detainer. An immigration judge had issued a final order of removal against him in 2021, and that order has now been reinstated. He remains detained at an ICE facility in the Midwest.

Felipe-Mendez has no pending legal appeals and will remain in custody pending deportation to Guatemala.