KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for illegally possessing eight firearms. Nicholas G. Gutierrez, 43, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Tuesday, Jan. 23, to 15 years in...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has launched a new campaign encouraging the public to make Every Day Take Back Day by utilizing year-round collection sites to dispose of unneeded and unwanted medications. For more than a decade, DEA has worked with state and local law enforcement partners to...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A district judge sentenced a semi-truck driver to 12 years in federal prison after he admitted to hauling 88 pounds of heroin, fentanyl, meth and cocaine through southern Illinois. Ledaniel Russell, 50, of Fort Worth, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A federal grand jury returned a seven-count indictment charging 11 individuals in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine in southern Illinois and across the country. The indictment charges: Rogelio Martinez-Becerra, also known as “Rodrigo” or “Chaparro” (Shorty), 35, and Ricardo...

WASHINGTON – In 2023, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration marked its 50th anniversary as the only federal agency dedicated to fighting deadly drugs and drug-related violence. This milestone celebrated a half century of dedication to fighting drug trafficking in the United States and around the world, which threatens the public...

ST. LOUIS – Two doctors from the St. Louis area were indicted Wednesday and accused of illegally administering ketamine to patients and fraudulently billing Medicare for certain services related to a psychiatric clinic. Dr. Asim Muhammad Ali, 53, and Dr. Mohd Azfar Malik, 70, were each indicted on 22 felony...

ST. LOUIS – A father and son from St. Louis have pleaded guilty to federal drug charges and admitted trafficking kilograms of cocaine to St. Louis for years. Gregory Dixson Jr., 53, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A district judge sentenced a felon from East St. Louis to eight years and one month in prison after he admitted to conspiring to launder money and distribute drugs in southern Illinois. Donald B. Perkins, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy...

ST. LOUIS – A Slovakian man was indicted this week on charges that accuse him of running a darknet market that sold drugs and stolen personal information. Investigators have shut down the market. Alan Bill, 30, of Bratislava, was charged by complaint in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Dec...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man has pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a drug-trafficking conspiracy after receiving a delivery of approximately 30 pounds of methamphetamine from California. Saul Fernandez, 29, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Dec. 13, 2023, to one...