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| - In late January 2026, social media posts shared a sensational story claiming the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted a raid in Minneapolis that uncovered a sophisticated tunnel system beneath a luxury mansion supposedly owned by prominent immigration attorneys. According to the story, agents seized 2.64 tons of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine; found $18.7 million in cash; and arrested 96 suspects across more than 60 raid locations tied to an "Al-Hudood Logistics Syndicate."
One Facebook post (archived) with the story framed the alleged raid as "one of the largest federal enforcement operations in Midwest history," reading:
Two days ago: FBI & ICE RAID Uncover Tunnel Under Somali Attorneys' Minneapolis Mansion — 2.64 Tons, 96 Arrests!
In a shocking twist that reads like a Hollywood blockbuster, a coordinated FBI and ICE raid has rocked Minneapolis, revealing a sophisticated tunnel network beneath a luxury mansion owned by prominent immigration attorneys! "Could this really be happening in our own backyard?" skeptics might gasp, but the evidence is staggering! What began as a routine investigation has escalated into one of the largest federal enforcement operations in Midwest history, exposing deep cartel infiltration that reaches every level of society. As federal forces swept through the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, executing simultaneous raids at over sixty locations connected to the Al-Hudood Logistics Syndicate, they uncovered a staggering 2.64 tons of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine hidden in underground vaults, along with a jaw-dropping $18.7 million in cash! With 96 suspects arrested in a mere six-hour blitz, one pressing question looms: how did these attorneys turn their mansion into a narcotics fortress, and who else is complicit in this transnational drug empire?
The story spread on multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, LinkedIn and 9GAG. Readers also searched our site for the claim.
In short, the story was fabricated. We found no credible news coverage or official announcements supporting the claim that the FBI and ICE uncovered a drug tunnel beneath a Minneapolis mansion owned by immigration attorneys, nor that authorities seized 2.64 tons of narcotics and $18.7 million in cash while arresting 96 people in a six-hour raid. The narrative appeared to originate from an advertisement-filled website that publishes multiple similar stories without verifiable details. For those reasons, we rate the claim false.
The fabricated story circulated amid increased immigration enforcement activity in Minnesota. On Jan. 6, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security said it had launched its "largest immigration enforcement operation ever," with about 2,000 immigration agents expected in the Minneapolis area. An ICE officer fatally shot Renee Good on Jan. 7, and Border Patrol agents fatally shot Alex Pretti on Jan. 24 — shootings that sparked public outcry over the federal operation.
Why the story doesn't hold up
The story about the supposed raid traced back to an unreliable, sensational website and is unsupported by credible reporting. For example, one Facebook post spreading the rumor linked to an article titled "FBI & ICE RAID Uncover Tunnel Under Somali Attorneys' Minneapolis Mansion — 2.64 Tons, 96 Arrests." The headline mentioned "Somali attorneys," seemingly to tap into existing scrutiny of Minnesota's Somali community — yet the article itself never returned to that claim or provided any identifying details about the supposed attorneys or their "Somali" connection.
It started:
In a dramatic turn of events that has sent shockwaves through the Midwest, a coordinated raid by the FBI and ICE has unraveled a sophisticated network of drug trafficking beneath a luxury mansion in Minneapolis.
This operation, which has been dubbed one of the largest federal enforcement actions in the region's history, has revealed the alarming extent of cartel infiltration into American cities.
As investigators sift through the details, the implications of this case extend far beyond the immediate arrests and seizures.
The Discovery
The saga began with a tip-off that led federal agents to a mansion owned by prominent immigration attorneys in a wealthy neighborhood of Minneapolis.
What they discovered was nothing short of astonishing: a complex tunnel system stretching beneath the opulent estate, serving as a conduit for illicit activities.
Simultaneously, teams from the FBI and ICE executed raids at over sixty locations linked to the Al-Hudood Logistics Syndicate, a group that has been under scrutiny for its connections to international drug trafficking.
During the operation, agents seized an astonishing 2.64 tons of various narcotics, including cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine.
These drugs were hidden away in underground vaults, meticulously concealed from law enforcement.
In addition to the drugs, agents uncovered a staggering $18.7 million in cash, alongside encrypted communications that connected the operation to global smuggling routes.
The article made dramatic claims but offered none of the basic details needed to verify them — no suspects' names, no address, no case number, no charging jurisdiction and no links to court records or official statements.
While the exact source of the fictional story is unknown, AI-detection tools suggested the text was not written by a human. According to ZeroGPT, there was a 100% chance an AI tool wrote the passage. (Research shows AI-detection software is imperfect. Readers should consider the tools' results with skepticism.)
(ZeroGPT)
The article's tone, structure, emotional language and lack of verifiable details were also an indication of AI software.
Moreover, the story's alleged criminal group, the "Al-Hudood Logistics Syndicate," shares its name with Al-Hudood, a satirical news outlet often compared to The Onion. Similarly, the 2.64 tons figure aligns with a separately reported cocaine seizure in Fiji, not Minneapolis.
The article repurposed unrelated images, including of Vice President JD Vance delivering remarks in Minneapolis and separate footage tied to ICE activity in Maine, offering no evidence those visuals had anything to do with the purported tunnel raid.
A YouTube channel spreading the rumor included a disclaimer it presented "fictional operations, dramatized investigations, and creative storytelling inspired by open-source themes for educational, analytical, and documentary-style purposes.
Claims about supposed hidden tunnels are a recurring theme in viral stories online. We've previously fact-checked multiple unfounded narratives alleging secret tunnels under homes or buildings — including supposed tunnels under actor Gene Hackman's home and a tunnel connecting Sean "Diddy" Combs' mansion to the Playboy Mansion.
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