SOUTH BEND, Indiana – Alfred A. Cooke, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Drug Enforcement Administration-Merrillville, Indiana, and U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson for the Northern District of Indiana announced that Shanell Medina-Hipolite, 24, of Chicago, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to...

ORLANDO , Fla . – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that Carlos Alberto Roman (56, Orlando) has pleaded guilty to possession of controlled substances and possessing a firearm equipped with a silencer in furtherance of that drug crime. Roman faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 30 years, up...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A federal jury in Gainesville convicted Edwin Giovanny Mendoza-Verdugo, 20, of Sinaloa, Mexico, on one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, further finding Mendoza-Verdugo responsible for 40-400 grams of fentanyl, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. The...

MILWAUKEE -- John G. McGarry, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Drug Enforcement Administration-Wisconsin, and U.S. Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on Dec. 2, 2022, Jose Crespo-Lorenzo, a/k/a “El Colombiano”, 60, of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison...

PEORIA, Ill. – Todd C. Smith, Assistant Special Agent in Charge at Drug Enforcement Administration-Chicago Division, and U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris of the Central District of Illinois announced that a federal jury returned guilty verdicts on Dec. 1, 2022, against Harold U. McGhee, 48, of Peoria, Illinois, for the...

TAMPA, Fla. – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that a federal jury has found Jy’quale Samari Grable (20, Tampa) guilty of conspiracy, robbery, and first-degree premediated murder. Grable faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 16, 2022. Jy’quale...

MIAMI — Anton Peck, 29, of Boca Raton, Fla., has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks to 16 years in prison for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Peck previously pled guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl...

TAMPA, Fla . – Ubertino Zavala-Perez (59, Plant City, Florida) was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Zavala-Perez pleaded guilty on August 31, 2022. According to court documents, Zavala-Perez conspired with individuals in Mexico and others to distribute and import methamphetamine from...

TAMPA , F la. – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that a federal jury has found Justin Kelly (35, New Port Richey) guilty of conspiracy to distribute 40 grams of fentanyl resulting in death, distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, three counts of possession/distribution of fentanyl, and possessing...

MIAMI – This week the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hosted regional family summits across the country in support of those who have lost loved ones to fentanyl poisoning. This is the first undertaking of its kind for the DEA field divisions and builds off the momentum of this summer’s Inaugural...