MACON, Ga. – The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia, together with law enforcement partners, today announced significant developments in three Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) investigations targeting cartel-linked drug trafficking organizations responsible for the armed distribution of large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine and resulting...

SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- April Nikkel, 37, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced October 29, to 168 months’ imprisonment. Nikkel pled guilty on May 18, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of distributing methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of...

MINNEAPOLIS – United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced that Cartrelle Smith, aka “Poo Moe,” pleaded guilty for his role in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy. He pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz on October 21, 2026. Smith is one of 14 defendants in...

A man who law enforcement officers found with more than 16 pounds of methamphetamine was sentenced today to more than 21 years in federal prison. Demetrius Stone, age 54, from Chicago, Illinois, received the prison term after a May 8, 2026, guilty plea to one count of possession with intent...

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - A man who distributed methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl on multiple occasions in 2022 was convicted by a jury after a three-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids. Anthony Harris, age 61, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of one count of distribution of a controlled...

SIOUX FALLS- A Sioux Falls woman, Regan Lehr, convicted of Distribution of a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death was sentenced October 5, to 20 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Lehr...

SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Shelton Lapointe, 36, from Sioux City, was sentenced October 6, to 360 months’ imprisonment. Lapointe was convicted by a jury on April 29, 2026, on one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and aiding and abetting...

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - A Sioux Falls woman convicted of Distribution of a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death was sentenced October 5, to 20 years in federal prison. Jessi Whaley, 27, was sentenced to 20 years, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special...

MACON, Ga. – A federal jury found a Macon resident guilty of armed drug trafficking, including distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine while in possession of a machine gun, resulting from an Operation Take Back America investigation. “This conviction holds a repeat offender accountable for distributing dangerous drugs,” said Michael J. Connolly...

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - A Cedar Rapids woman who distributed methamphetamine was sentenced to more than 16 years in federal prison. Larissa Marie Ruffin, age 48, received the prison term after a March 12, 2026, guilty plea to one count of distribution of a controlled substance. Information from the sentencing...