WICHITA, KAN. – A Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) operation led to the dismantling of a drug trafficking ring in Kansas operated on behalf of a Mexican drug cartel. Ringleader, Euriel Talavera, 32, of Wichita and 14 other defendants pleaded guilty to criminal charges following a multi-agency investigation which included...

CHICAGO – Todd C. Smith, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Chicago Field Division, announced drug-related charges filed with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office against two men. Burhan C. Ozerdinc, 33, of Oak Lawn, Illinois, and Ahmad S. Sanducka, 33, of Mount Prospect, Illinois, were...

EVANSVILLE, Ind.- Six individuals, all from Evansville, have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine trafficking ring operating in Southern Indiana. Defendant Sentence Charge(s) Lovechild McGuire, 33 28 years’ imprisonment, five years of supervised release Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to...

URBANA, Ill. – A Danville, Illinois, man, Marcus “Slim” McKinney, 50, was sentenced on Aug. 14, 2026, to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole on three drug trafficking charges, including his involvement in a drug conspiracy that resulted in the overdose death of Maggie Avelar on Aug. 19, 2023...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Following a lengthy Homeland Security Task Force investigation, a federal grand jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, returned an indictment on July 15, 2026, charging seven defendants, including three Mexican and two Guatemalan nationals, as part of an Owensboro-based methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking conspiracy. The defendants were arrested...

INDIANAPOLIS - Deontai Williams, 33, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, after a federal jury found him guilty of trafficking in fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine; illegally possessing eight firearms as a convicted felon; and possessing those firearms in...

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – The last of 15 defendants was sentenced to prison after a Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) investigation dismantled a Kansas City metro-based drug trafficking ring linked to Mexico. In December 2019, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) launched an investigation into a...

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – On June 10, 2026, Bao Xu, 33, of Los Angeles, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine and distributing five grams or more of methamphetamine. Xu was sentenced to 121 months in prison...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A North Kansas City, Mo., man has been charged by criminal complaint for distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of firearms by a felon. Danny D. Garrett, Jr., 46, appeared...

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced to 167 months in prison for his role in a transnational drug trafficking organization with ties to a Mexican cartel. The sentence follows a Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) investigation which has so far led to convictions of approximately a dozen...