Paulette Allen, age 64, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced March 3, 2026, to more than 3 years in federal prison, after an October 9, 2025, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, and two counts of distribution of controlled substances. Donald Most, age 61, from Sioux City...

SIOUX CITY, Iowa-- A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine and possessed with intent to distribute methamphetamine was convicted by a jury April 29, 2026, after a 2-day trial in federal court in Sioux City. Shelton Lapointe, 36, from Sioux City, Iowa, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to...

OMAHA, Neb. – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will recognize National Fentanyl Awareness Day, Wednesday, April 29, as a show of support for the agency’s valued partners in law enforcement, public health and non-profit agencies. Fentanyl-related deaths have decreased in the past several years, yet fentanyl remains the leading...

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – A federal indictment has been unsealed, charging 51 defendants across 67 counts for their roles in a conspiracy to manufacture black-market marijuana in Oklahoma and then distribute it throughout the United States, including Texas, Mississippi, Kansas, and North Carolina. In a coordinated takedown late last week...

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa- A licensed pharmacist who created fake patient profiles to steal prescription drugs containing controlled substances was sentenced on April 15, to a three‑year term of probation. Ryan Paul Etscheid, age 40, from La Salle, Illinois, received the sentence after an October 27, 2025, guilty plea to acquiring...

DALLAS, TX – Two Mexican nationals were sentenced for working with the cartel to distribute drugs around Tulsa, Oklahoma Today, U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced Ventura Rivera Arteaga, 41, for Drug Conspiracy and Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. He was ordered to 46 months imprisonment, followed by...

On April 13, 2026, the final defendant in a significant Lubbock, Texas methamphetamine trafficking organization was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison. Shawn Nichole Zatloukal was a member of a larger methamphetamine trafficking organization responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine in the Lubbock area. She and her codefendants...

Todd Babb, 62, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced in federal court in Sioux City on April 6, 2026, to 210 months’ imprisonment. Babb pled guilty November 19, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Evidence showed that Babb was previously convicted of at least five prior felony drug offenses, one...

A woman who distributed a mixture of fentanyl, heroin, and xylazine that caused an overdose death was sentenced April 6, to 21 years in federal prison. Bridgette Marie Washington, age 47, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 22, 2025, guilty plea to one count of distribution...

SIOUX CITY, Iowa - A man who possessed with the intent to distribute fentanyl was sentenced today to more than 12 years in federal prison. Alfredo Soberanes, 31, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 4, 2025, guilty plea to one count of possession with intent...