On October 20, 2024, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia arrested Arnoldo Antonio Prieto-Lopez, a 51-year-old noncitizen from El Salvador. Prieto-Lopez previously held lawful permanent resident status. He was taken into custody after serving a federal sentence for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. He is now in ICE custody and awaiting immigration proceedings.
Prieto-Lopez has a criminal record in several states over more than thirty years. His convictions include attempted robbery in Los Angeles County in 1988, willful cruelty to a child in Riverside County in 1998, and failure to provide for a minor in San Bernardino County in 1999. In 2014, he was convicted of attempted money laundering in Maricopa County, Arizona. In December 2023, he was sentenced to 24 months in prison for fentanyl distribution in New Jersey.
ERO Philadelphia encountered Prieto-Lopez at the Federal Correctional Institution Allenwood Low in White Deer, Pennsylvania, on July 30, 2024. An immigration detainer and warrant were issued. Local law enforcement transferred him to ICE custody. Officials stated that detainers help ICE take custody of noncitizens with criminal records in secure settings and use government resources efficiently…