EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso man was sentenced in a federal court to 180 months in prison for trafficking fentanyl and other illicit drugs. According to court documents, Victor Arellano, 40, delivered 1,000 fentanyl pills to an undercover agent in exchange for $1,500 on or about Nov. 28...

Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that Michael Reis, 29, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on February 25, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, for distributing fentanyl that resulted in death and for sex trafficking of a minor. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Reis to...

EL PASO, Texas – A high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel was extradited from Mexico to El Paso, indicted for criminal charges related to his alleged federal racketeering, narcotics, money laundering, firearms, and continuing criminal enterprise offenses. According to court documents, Daniel Franco Lopez aka “Micha” aka “Neon” aka “Fer,”...

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...

OMAHA, Neb. – In an effort to build on drug education messaging to tribal communities, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division worked with the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and Mandaree High School of North Dakota to develop a poster that blends Native Indian imagery with wording emphasizing the importance...

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...

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...