MIAMI – A south Florida defendant pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a synthetic opioid, protonitazene. Will Catis, Sr. (Catis), 42, of Deerfield Beach, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal. According to the agreed upon factual proffer, on April 12, 2022...

ORLANDO , F la. – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the return of an indictment charging Jackie Jamal Hines (46, Melbourne) with possession with the intent to distribute five (5) kilograms or more of cocaine . If convicted, Hines faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up...

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...

TAMPA, F la. – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that Eliezer De Leon-Lopez (38, Guatemala), a/k/a “Wiro Loco” and “Daniel Martinez,” pleaded guilty today to conspiring to import cocaine into the United States. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison...

TAMPA , F la. – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that Nestor Hugo Gomez-Garcia (38, Colombia), a/k/a “Simon,” “Guava,” and “Guavita,” pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine on vessels subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up...

JACKSONVILLE , Fla . - U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard sentenced Zachariah Ryan Luke (28, Bennettsville, South Carolina) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute, and possess with the intent to distribute, 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a...

TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington sentenced Lennen Pacheco Colon (25, Orlando) to 6 years and 11 months in federal prison for distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl, to be served consecutive to a 200 month sentence the defendant has received in the Southern District...

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...