DETROIT – Barry Willis, a Detroit gas station owner has been convicted of several federal crimes stemming from his involvement with a Detroit-based stash house that held over 42 kilograms of fentanyl, a pill press, and a variety of other materials used to manufacture fentanyl pills. On March 28, 2024...

CLEVELAND – Hundreds of individuals were apprehended and taken into custody throughout northern Ohio as part of a multi-agency strategic initiative to combat violent crime. The DEA Detroit Field Division was part of a multi-jurisdictional sweep across eight cities, known as Operation Northern Shield, was coordinated among federal, state, and...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jose De Jesus Martinez, 25, of Avondale, was sentenced on July 13, by United States District Judge Sharad H. Desai to five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Martinez previously pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl. On May 5, 2025...

DETROIT – Mark Craythorn Thompson, 63, of Detroit, was sentenced on June 25, to 60 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Thompson previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl. As part of this conspiracy, Thompson picked up a package in Detroit Sept. 28, 2023, that...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Edgar Giovany Baca-Anaya, 27, of Mesa, Arizona, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to 120 months in prison, followed by 96 months of supervised release. Baca-Anaya previously pleaded guilty to Distribution of Fentanyl and admitted that the distribution resulted in the...

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...

CLEVELAND – A DEA Detroit Field Division investigation has led to the sentencing of a 36-year-old man for manufacturing fentanyl and methamphetamine pills and using his home daycare as part of the drug trafficking operation. Larry Crenshaw-Broadnax was sentenced to 144 months (12 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – An illegal alien who shot at Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agents attempting to arrest him during a fentanyl sale on Feb. 24, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for attempted murder. Eduardo Valenzuela Lopez, 33, of Cajeme, Sonora, Mexico, has been charged with Attempted...

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 — 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,”...