Operation Ironwash

Business consultant (no verifiable front)

Age 48, Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. Runs the network. Coordinates fentanyl supply from a Mexico-side lab and receives straw-purchased firearms from the US side. Communicates sparingly, uses heavy coded language, minimal digital footprint. "El Reloj" (The Clock) — known for precise timing of shipments and border crossings. Has been running this network for 5+ years. Students find the least visible evidence on this phone — but what they find connects everything.

Driver for Salinas Auto & Parts

Age 29, Phoenix/Tucson corridor. Moves fentanyl from Victor's stash house in Tucson to dealers in the Phoenix metro area. Returns with cash and straw-purchased firearms for southbound smuggling. Uses the auto parts business as cover for frequent Tucson-Phoenix drives. Female courier — cartels increasingly use women because they draw less suspicion at checkpoints.

Owner of Salinas Auto & Parts, Tucson AZ

Age 41, Tucson AZ. US-side operator who receives fentanyl shipments from Delgado's network and distributes through couriers. Coordinates straw purchases of firearms at Phoenix-area gun shops. Runs a legitimate used auto parts business as a front — provides cover for cross-border vehicle traffic and cash flow. Has been in the operation for 3+ years.

College student near ASU

Age 22, Tempe AZ. Sells fentanyl pressed pills to college-age buyers. Got into dealing through a friend who connected him to Dani. Has been dealing for about 4 months. Not sophisticated — uses regular SMS, no encryption, no counter-surveillance. Entry point for the investigation.

Encrypted messaging app for operational conversations with Victor. 15-20 conversation threads covering stash house logistics, shipment timing, firearms discussion, and product quality.

File system extraction reveals conversation database with full message history. Cross-reference with Victor phone shows matching threads from opposite perspective.

Mileage tracking app that actually logs trip entries with dates, distances, and start/end locations. Cover story: tracking business mileage for Salinas Auto & Parts. Reality: logged routes show repeated Tucson-Phoenix trips matching drug delivery schedule.

Internal log file contains timestamped route entries. Dates correlate with SMS delivery references and call log patterns. GPS coordinates in log data.

Encrypted messaging app for operational conversations with Marco "Clock". 10-15 coded conversations using automotive metaphors. Discusses shipment timing, payment confirmations, quality issues.

Matching conversation threads with Phone 4. Coded language dictionary can be built from patterns. Timestamps correlate with call log to +52 number.

Inventory tracking app that actually stores entries with item names, quantities, weights, and dates. Appears to be auto parts inventory. Internal data includes entries with weights in kg and quantities that do not correspond to auto parts.

Internal database export shows structured inventory data. Weights and quantities analysis reveals drug shipment tracking disguised as parts inventory. Dates match SMS shipment references.

Encrypted messaging app for conversations with Victor. 8-10 heavily coded threads. Minimal content — Marco delegates, does not micromanage. Key threads: approving Dani hire, confirming large shipment, discussing Chinese precursor connection.

Matching threads with Phone 3. Sparse messages but each one is significant. Timestamp analysis shows communication only during specific hours (operational discipline).

Password manager with 72-hour dead-man timer. If not reset via 10 rapid taps, triggers data wipe sequence. Actually runs timer, logs reset timestamps to internal storage. Same mechanics as SYNCSVC built for REDHAWK Umar Li.

Internal log shows timer reset timestamps — evidence of regular OPSEC checks. Timer mechanism itself is evidence of counter-forensics awareness. Log file at filesDir/vaultlog/vault.log.

Operation Ironwash Standard — 2 phones (Tyler Briggs + Dani Reeves). Fentanyl trafficking investigation with evidence chain from street dealer to courier. Includes instructor guide, student lab, grading rubric, and setup guide.

Operation Ironwash Premium — 4 phones (full network). Fentanyl + weapons bidirectional trafficking from street dealer through courier and supplier to Mexico-based boss. Includes all Standard materials plus roleplayer scripts, exercise injects, and observer guides.