Pensacola, Fla. – Aubrey Darnell Joseph, Sr., 35, of Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, has been indicted in federal court for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. John P. Heekin...

Tampa, Fla. – Leeman Brown has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Virgina M. Hernandez Covington to 5 years and 10 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and aiding and assisting false...

Tallahassee, Fla. – Deontae Watkins, 44, of Perry, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with the intent to distribute various controlled substances including more than 500 grams of methamphetamine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; and...

Tampa, Fla. – Herbert Battle, Jr. (54, Hardee County) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Virgina M. Hernandez Covington to 27 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine. Battle pleaded guilty on August 19, 2025.United States Attorney...

MIAMI – A California duo accused of operating a darknet drug trafficking business that sold fentanyl and methamphetamine nationwide, including in South Florida, and laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency has been indicted by a Southern District of Florida grand jury. According to court documents, Nicholas Aguilar, 44...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Texas man has been sentenced for smuggling six kilograms of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr. U.S. District Judge Annmarie C. Axon sentenced Brandon Azael Lopez, 30, of McAllen, Texas, to 46 months in prison. In October 2025, Lopez pleaded guilty to possession with...

COVINGTON, La. - Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John P. Scott and District Attorney J. Collin Sims announced that James Spikes, Jr., 48, of Bogalusa, Louisiana, was sentenced on July 15, 2026, by the Honorable Judge Scott Gardner to 80 years in prison without the benefit of parole...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A large-scale federal investigation into methamphetamine trafficking in Little Rock and North Little Rock that spanned two years and multiple states resulted in the arrest of 13 individuals in Operation Return to Sender on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. Twenty-three defendants accused of participating in an extensive...

SHREVEPORT– United States Chief District Court Judge Terry A. Doughty recently sentenced defendants who resided in Tallulah, Monroe, and Shreveport to federal prison for firearm and drug trafficking offenses. All defendants previously pled guilty to their respective charges. “The Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative lies at the heart of our Office’s...

SLIDELL, La. - The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office has joined the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New Orleans Field Division's Northshore Opioid Initiative, commonly referred to as the DEA Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (FORT). The partnership strengthens a statewide partnership dedicated to investigating fentanyl-related overdose poisonings, dismantling drug trafficking networks...