PHOENIX, Ariz — DEA Special Agent in Charge Apolonio Ruiz Jr. joined Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and HIDTA Director Dawn Mertz to announce the results of a major multi-agency drug operation targeting criminal organizations operating in Arizona communities. “This extraordinary investigation saved countless lives,”...

WASHINGTON – Marking a powerful start to 2026, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration dealt a significant blow to drug trafficking networks during Phase II of Operation Fentanyl Free America. Between January 12 and February 10, 2026, DEA seized more than 4.7 million fentanyl pills and nearly 2,396 pounds of fentanyl...

WASHINGTON – Following an increase in the trafficking and abuse of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) throughout the United States, the Drug Enforcement Administration has emergency scheduled bromazolam, a synthetic benzodiazepine used to make counterfeit Xanax tablets. The emergency scheduling of bromazolam places it into Schedule I under the Controlled Substances...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Sebastian Enrique Marset Cabrera, 34, an alleged cocaine trafficker from Uruguay, made his initial appearance in federal court today on charges relating to his alleged role in a money laundering conspiracy. Marset was added to the DEA’s Most Wanted Fugitive List in May 2025. Court documents alleged...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Eduardo Valenzuela Lopez, 33, of Cajeme, Sonora, Mexico, and Jael Gonzalez Banuelos, 22, of Phoenix, Arizona, were arrested on the morning of Feb. 24, 2026, by members of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for conspiring to distribute fentanyl. Valenzuela Lopez and Gonzalez Banuelos were charged by criminal...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On February 27, 2026, the DEA Sacramento District Office in partnership with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office SAINT(Sacramento Area Intelligence/Narcotics Team) and Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office CNEU (Calaveras Narcotics Enforcement Unit), in coordination with numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, dismantled a major clandestine methamphetamine...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Johnny Bobby Truong, 33, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dena M. Coggins to 19 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Bob Beris announced. On Aug. 13, 2025, Truong pleaded...

Washington - The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in coordination with federal partners and the People’s Republic of China convened the Bilateral Drug Intelligence Working Group (BDIWG) in Colorado Springs February 10 to 12, 2026. This working group brought together law enforcement, prosecutors, customs, border security, public security, financial supervision, and...

TUCSON, Ariz. – Aaron Leopoldo Aguirre-Gutierrez, 50, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced on Jan. 20, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins to 48 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Aguirre-Gutierrez previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine. Between Feb. 24, 2024, to...

Tucson, Ariz. – Ramon Renteria, 33, of Avondale, Arizona, was sentenced on Jan. 15, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Angela M. Martinez to 64 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release, with community restitution and a fine totaling $7,000. Renteria previously pleaded guilty to Possession with...