DAYTON, Ohio – Ernesto Villalobos, 48, of Los Angeles, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 150 months in prison, June 15, for distributing kilograms of cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout the United States, including in the Southern District of Ohio. A Drug Enforcement Administration investigation revealed, Villalobos served as...

CINCINNATI – An ongoing investigation stemming from the May 10 arrest of two Southwest Ohio relatives has led investigators to taking an additional 244 kilograms of suspected cocaine from the alleged drug traffickers. Damian Galan, 31, of Cincinnati, and Diego Galan, 19, of Fairfield, appeared in federal court following their...

CINCINNATI – Two Southwest Ohio relatives were arrested by federal agents for allegedly conducting large-scale cocaine trafficking. Damian Galan, 31, of Cincinnati, and Diego Galan, 19, of Fairfield, will appear in federal court today for initial appearances. According to charging documents, agencies within the Cincinnati Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF)...

DETROIT – Marking a powerful start to 2026, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration dealt a significant blow to drug trafficking networks during Phase II of Operation Fentanyl Free America. Between Jan. 12 and Feb. 10, 2026, DEA seized more than 4.7 million fentanyl pills and nearly 2,396 pounds of fentanyl...

Phoenix, ARIZ – On March 26, 2026, Ismael Alejandro Ortiz was sentenced to five years in prison by the Pima County Superior Court. On July 29, 2025, in Pima County, Arizona, Ortiz attempted to knowingly transport approximately 12.9 pounds of cocaine for sale, using a mobile barbershop bus as cover...

PHOENIX, Ariz — DEA Special Agent in Charge Apolonio Ruiz Jr. joined Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and HIDTA Director Dawn Mertz to announce the results of a major multi-agency drug operation targeting criminal organizations operating in Arizona communities. “This extraordinary investigation saved countless lives,”...

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...

DETROIT – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Detroit Field Division today announced its 2025 seizure statistics, reflecting significant enforcement efforts aimed at dismantling drug trafficking organizations and protecting communities across Michigan, Ohio and northern Kentucky. Throughout 2025, the DEA Detroit Field Division seized: 147 kilograms of fentanyl 432 kilograms of...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Last week, John Avendano, 21, of Phoenix, Arizona, was charged by federal criminal complaint in Phoenix, Arizona with Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. According to the complaint, on September 22, a Task Force Officer with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) East Valley Drug Enforcement Task...

LANSING, Mich. – Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Andrew Byerly Birge today announced that James Smith, 42, and Patrick Donald Martin, 27, both of Kalamazoo County, were sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in the distribution of controlled substances in April 2023 that resulted in...