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,”...

LOS ANGELES –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...

LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas man who has prior felony convictions was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Richard F. Boulware to 132 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release for distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl, and unlawful possession of firearms including a...

LOS ANGELES – Twelve members and associates of 18th Street – Los Angeles’s largest street gang – were arrested today on criminal charges, including the murder of a drug trafficker who failed to pay the gang’s extortionate “taxes,” and further alleging that the gang controlled the city’s MacArthur Park as...

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...

Baltimore, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced federal charges today, in connection with a large-scale, targeted law-enforcement operation, resulting in hundreds of federal and state arrests. From January 20, through January 31, federal, state, and local law enforcement partners brought dozens of federal and...

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...

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...

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles Field Division has new leadership. DEA Administrator Terrance C. Cole has appointed Anthony Chrysanthis as the Special Agent in Charge (SAC), covering Southern California, Nevada, Hawaii and the U.S. Territories of Guam and Saipan. Special Agent in Charge Chrysanthis draws...

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced yesterday to 12 years in prison for being a felon in possession of firearms. According to court documents, on Sept. 6, 2024, law enforcement searched the residence of Javon Antonio Poag, 38, and recovered $7,604, 82.52 grams of cocaine, 8.41 grams of...