A Mexican national pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl for importation into the United States, and conspiracy to distribute listed chemicals for the unlawful importation of a controlled substance. “For years, Ojeda Elenes manufactured and imported enormous quantities of fentanyl often using precursor chemicals obtained from...

OAKLAND – Joel Dowen was sentenced to eighteen years in federal prison on August 7, 2026, for engaging in a violent extortion scheme, shooting at a federal officer, drug dealing, and bank fraud. Co-defendant Micah-Luc Almeida was sentenced to three years in federal prison for conspiring to deal drugs with...

LOS ANGELES – An employee of a service provider working at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and a fellow South Bay resident have been arrested and charged in a federal criminal complaint with possessing a bag containing approximately 11 kilograms (24.3 pounds) of fentanyl in an airport bathroom, where it...

LOS ANGELES - On Friday, August 21, 2026, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will join Facing Fentanyl , to unite families, communities, and organizations across the country in recognizing National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the national observance which honors and remembers the...

San Francisco – On Friday, August 21, 2026, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will join Facing Fentanyl , to unite families, communities, and organizations across the country in recognizing National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the national observance which honors and remembers the...

LAS VEGAS – A federal grand jury in Las Vegas returned a 10-count indictment today charging six defendants, all Chinese nationals and all residing in Las Vegas, for their alleged participation in a large-scale illegal marijuana grow operation with one grow house located near a public park, announced the United...

LAS VEGAS – A Mexican national, who was illegally in the United States, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Gloria M. Navarro to the mandatory minimum of five years in prison for distributing over 1,000 fentanyl pills in North Las Vegas, announced the United States Attorney's Office for...

LAS VEGAS – An Elko man pleaded guilty today to purchasing 140 firearms for drug trafficking organizations in Mexico, laundering proceeds from the firearms sales, and employing illegal immigrants at a mining company in Nevada, announced the United States Attorney for the District of Nevada. “Firearms trafficking networks feed the...

OAKLAND – The government of Mexico recently deported Julio Palafox, a United States citizen, to the United States where he was arrested by the United States Marshals on a warrant to appear on charges stemming from his alleged involvement in the distribution of methamphetamine in the Bay Area. U.S. Marshals...

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles Field Division has new leadership. DEA Administrator Terrance C. Cole has appointed David S. Olesky 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 Olesky...