TUCSON, Ariz. – Aaron Leopoldo Aguirre-Gutierrez, 50, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced on Jan. 20, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins to 48 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Aguirre-Gutierrez previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine. Between Feb. 24, 2024, to...

Tucson, Ariz. – Ramon Renteria, 33, of Avondale, Arizona, was sentenced on Jan. 15, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Angela M. Martinez to 64 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release, with community restitution and a fine totaling $7,000. Renteria previously pleaded guilty to Possession with...

EL PASO, Texas – Dr. Brian August, located in El Paso, has agreed to pay $200,000 to resolve allegations that he violated the Controlled Substances Act, the False Claims Act, and the Texas Health Care Program Fraud Prevention Act. The allegations involved the issuance of 255 controlled substance prescriptions to...

DENVER – The DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division (RMFD) shattered records for fentanyl pill and methamphetamine seizures in 2025. Last year, approximately 8,729,000 fentanyl pills were seized in the RMFD – comprised of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana – along with approximately 1,400 kilograms (nearly 3,100 lbs.) of methamphetamine. “These...

ALBUQUERQUE – A Hobbs man was sentenced to 26 years in prison for drug trafficking and illegal firearm possession as a convicted felon. There is no parole in the federal system. According to court documents, on October 19, 2023, agents with the Lea County Drug Task Force stopped a SUV...

EL PASO - A former FBI “Ten Most Wanted Fugitive” and leader of the El Paso/Juarez-based Bario Azteca gang pleaded guilty today in federal court in El Paso, Texas, for his role in the March 2010 U.S. Consulate murders in Juarez, Mexico, in which three people associated with the U.S...

ALBUQUERQUE - David Mendoza-Enriquez was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for leading a drug trafficking organization responsible for moving tens of thousands of fentanyl pills from Mexico into Albuquerque, along with alien smuggling and importing illegal wildlife. According to court records, from at least 2020 through January 2023...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Dominik Israel Lopez, 24, of Mesa, Arizona, was sentenced on November 24, 2025, by United States District Judge Krissa Lanham to 108 months of prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Lopez pleaded guilty to Distribution of Fentanyl, with death resulting. In March 2020...

ALBUQUERQUE – Four members of the Navarrette Drug Trafficking Organization have been indicted, and one charged by a criminal complaint, on federal drug trafficking charges following an investigation into the distribution of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine in Hobbs, New Mexico. According to court documents, from October 2024, through December 2025...

ARIZONA – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is intensifying its fight against the deadly threat of synthetic opioids with the launch of Fentanyl Free America, a comprehensive enforcement initiative and public awareness campaign aimed at reducing both the supply and demand for fentanyl. This effort underscores DEA's unwavering commitment to...