Note: View the Plea Agreement ALBUQUERQUE – An El Paso man pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges after fleeing a Border Patrol checkpoint in Otero County, leading to a high-speed chase that ended in a head-on collision with a motorcyclist and the discovery of nearly 10 kilograms of pure...

MIDLAND, Texas – A Mexican national unlawfully residing in Texas was sentenced Thursday to life in federal prison for his criminal actions as the leader of a drug trafficking organization tied to a Mexican cartel. According to court documents, Jose Ramon Castillo-Lopez aka “Pepo,” 30, of Namiquipa, Chihuahua, Mexico, supplied...

ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque man with a history of felony convictions was sentenced to 248 months in federal prison for drug trafficking and firearms offenses after being found guilty at trial of possessing nearly two pounds of methamphetamine and a loaded handgun. There is no parole in the federal system...

EL PASO, Texas – A Customs and Border Protection officer was arrested in El Paso on criminal charges related to his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle undocumented noncitizens for financial gain and alleged drug trafficking activity. According to court documents, between on or about Dec. 21, 2023 and...

DETROIT – A 43-year-old Detroit man, Melvin Lamar Triplett, was sentenced to 23 years in prison today for drug conspiracy and delivering drugs causing death and serious bodily injury, Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck announced today. Beck was joined in the announcement by Andrew Lawton, Acting Special Agent...

ALBUQUERQUE – A federal grand jury has indicted three individuals for their alleged roles in a large-scale marijuana cultivation and distribution operation on Navajo Nation lands. The indictment, unsealed today, charges Dineh Benally, 48, his father, Donald Benally, 74, and Irving Rea Yui Lin, 73, a California resident, with multiple...

GRAND RAPIDS – Michael Warren Smith, Jr., 38, of Kalamazoo, was sentenced to 327 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and cocaine. Smith previously pleaded guilty in October 2024 pursuant to a plea agreement with...

ALBUQUERQUE – Two Albuquerque drug dealers pleaded guilty to federal charges after attempting to sell 30,000 fentanyl pills, containing approximately 3,200 grams of the drug, to an undercover law enforcement agent. According to court documents, on December 6, 2023, Miguel Antonio Ramirez, 23, and Isaiah Anthony Aragon, 24, conspired to...

DETROIT – Kevin Dunson, 43, Lansing, was indicted by a federal grand jury for possession with intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine and over 500 grams of cocaine and for being a felon in possession of firearms. Dunson was originally arrested on a federal criminal complaint Nov. 1...

DETROIT – A State of Washington man was sentenced to 12 ½ years in prison for his role in an armed drug conspiracy that amassed nearly 200 pounds of methamphetamine and other controlled substances, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced. Ison was joined in the announcement by Orville O...