ALBUQUERQUE, N.M - Joshua Greene, 19, of Albuquerque, pled guilty today in federal court to heroin trafficking charges. Greene’s plea agreement includes a recommendation that Greene be sentenced within the range of 60 to 87 months in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by...

LOS ANGELES - As part of a DEA investigation stemming from a multi-kilogram narcotics seizure at Los Angeles International Airport last month, two men have been named in a federal criminal complaint that alleges they were key operatives in a drug trafficking organization that shipped cocaine and heroin from Los...

EL PASO, Texas - Samuel Velasco Gurrola, 41, was sentenced to life in federal prison for his role in a murder-for-hire plot. The sentence was announced by Drug Enforcement (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy, United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., Homeland Security (HSI) Special Agent in...

EL PASO, Texas - Emmanuel Velasco Gurrola, 30, was sentenced to life in federal prison for his role in a murder-for-hire plot. The sentencing was announced by Drug Enforcement (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy, United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., Homeland Security (HSI) Special Agent in...

LOS ANGELES - Rite Aid Corporation has paid $834,200 in civil penalties to the United States to settle claims stemming from alleged violations of the Controlled Substances (CSA). The settlement is part of an agreement reached last week to resolve allegations that certain Rite Aid pharmacies in Los Angeles dispensed...

RIVERSIDE, Calif - Two men who were allegedly operating a “honey oil” lab in Cherry Valley when it exploded and severely burned one of them now face federal charges of operating an illegal drug manufacturing facility. Hector Gallegos, 34, of San Jacinto, surrendered to authorities yesterday and made his initial...

LOS ANGELES - A 28-year-old woman arrested early this morning at Los Angeles International Airport has been charged with trying to smuggle at least a kilogram of cocaine to her hometown of Detroit. Kennsha Mason, 28, was arrested by special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration after boarding a Spirit...

LAS CRUCES, N.M - Jessie Jesus Marquez, 37, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, was sentenced last week in federal court to 121 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his conviction on narcotics trafficking charges. The sentence was announced by Special Agent in Charge Will R...

LOS ANGELES - A former baggage handler employed at Los Angeles International Airport was arrested Tuesday by authorities investigating the use of employee credentials to breach airport security. Alberto H. Botello, 23, of South Gate, was taken into custody without incident by officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M - During a hearing yesterday, a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Albuquerque, New Mexico found probable cause to support a criminal complaint charging Michael Gerard Smith, 55, of Albuquerque, with violating the federal narcotics and firearms laws. Today, the Magistrate Judge entered an order holding Smith in federal custody...