POCATELLO – A Murtaugh man and a Pocatello man pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Between January 1 and March 24, 2021, Antonio Verduzco-Arreola, 40, of Murtaugh, and Joseph Alexander Huber, 35, of Pocatello, entered into an agreement to distribute controlled substances in the Pocatello area. On...

SPOKANE, Wash.–The United States Drug Enforcement Administration is launching Operation Engage in Spokane, Washington. Operation Engage Spokane is a comprehensive community-level approach to address the drug epidemic through prevention strategies, facilitating conversations and collaboration with local partners. The Seattle Field Division’s proposal was one of 11 approved for continued funding...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Mark Beale, 75, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, pleaded guilty on March 25 in federal court to unlawful dispensing and distributing of a schedule II controlled substance. Beale will remain on conditions of release pending sentencing. A federal grand jury indicted Beale on June 23, 2021. According...

EL PASO – A Mexican national was sentenced today to life in prison and ordered to pay a $100,000 fine for his role in the Sinaloa Cartel’s operations. According to court documents, Mario Iglesias-Villegas, aka “Dos,” “El 2,” “Delta,” “Parka,” “Grim Reaper,” 37, of Villa Ahumada, became a member of...

ALPINE – A Midland man pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to possess fentanyl and one count of illegal possession of a firearm. According to court documents, between August and October 2021, Edgar Parra, 36, sold a total of 112.3 grams of fentanyl to undercover DEA operatives on...

BOISE, Idaho – A Boise man was sentenced to federal prison this week for distributing methamphetamine in Boise and Nampa. According to court records, Nicholas Leroy Strong, 44, distributed 55 grams of methamphetamine in Nampa on March 10, 2021, and 84 grams of methamphetamine in Boise on March 31, 2021...

PORTLAND, Ore.—12 people are facing federal charges for conspiring to distribute counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl in the Pacific Northwest, and laundering millions in drug proceeds. According to court documents, beginning in fall 2021, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents based in Portland began investigating a drug trafficking organization led...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Following a three-week trial in U.S. District Court, a federal jury convicted an Anchorage man on charges of murder in furtherance of a continuing criminal enterprise, using a firearm to commit murder in a drug trafficking crime, drug conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. According to court documents...

BOISE, Idaho – A Boise woman was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for distribution of methamphetamine. According to court records, Miranda Lee Stogsdill, 41, sold 108 grams of methamphetamine on April 1, 2021, and later sold 111 grams of methamphetamine on April 15, 2021. Both sales were for...

EL PASO – A Cuban national living in Fort Hancock was sentenced today to 460 months in prison for drugs, firearms and immigration crimes. On July 23, 2021, Gilberto Morales, 57, was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of conspiracy to possess 1,000 kilograms or more of...