U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi joined DEA Leadership, and the men and women of the DEA El Paso Field Division, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 to announce the single largest seizure of fentanyl pills in DEA history. During an enforcement operation the last week of April, agents from the DEA...

WASHINGTON - DEA proudly joins community organizations, law enforcement, and public health partners in recognizing National Fentanyl Awareness Day on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Fentanyl is the greatest drug threat facing the United States as drug-related overdoses remain the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18-44. [1] DEA will...

WASHINGTON, DC –The Drug Enforcement Administration, in coordination with more than 4,400 law enforcement partners across the country, will host the 28th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., offering communities across the United States a safe, convenient, and anonymous way to...

EL PASO – For the first time in its history, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) El Paso Division will be led by an El Pasoan. Omar Arellano, who graduated from Del Valle High and the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), is the new Special Agent in Charge (SAC)...

ALBUQUERQUE – An Arizona man was sentenced to 14 years in prison for drug trafficking and firearms offenses following his arrest at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in New Mexico in 2023. There is no parole in the federal system. According to court documents, on April 27, 2023, David Maldonado...

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...

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...

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...