The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New Orleans Field Division is issuing an urgent public safety advisory to residents across the Northshore, specifically St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington Parishes, warning of a deadly group of synthetic opioids known as nitazenes following a recent surge in fatal overdoses. Forensic analysis and recent...

OXFORD – U.S. Attorney Scott Leary presented three awards for investigative excellence to investigators relating to their work on a Homeland Security Task Force drug trafficking prosecution: • Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent Josh Moore; • DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant/DEA Task Force Officer Josh Bryant; and • Hernando...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Yesterday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Birmingham Police Department along with federal law enforcement partners highlighted their strong and ongoing partnership during a press conference focused on their coordinated efforts to make Birmingham safer. “This is the ultimate good news story! When we stand together, we...

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...

MONROE, La. – On August 11, 2026, a federal jury found Donald Kelly, 44, of West Monroe, guilty of Distribution of Methamphetamine; Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine; Possession of Firearms by a Prohibited Person; and Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime after a two-day trial...

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Keith Jennings, 51, of South Bend, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty on Aug. 13, 2026, after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine...

MADISON, Wis. – Noah A. Hodges, 44, Madison, Wisconsin, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to five years in federal prison for possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine intended for distribution. The prison term will be followed by five years of supervised release. Hodges pleaded...

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...

PEORIA, Ill. – Darrell J. Lindsey, 44, formerly of Peoria, was sentenced on Aug. 6, 2026, to 135 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. According to court documents, law enforcement began an investigation into Lindsey’s methamphetamine...

ALEXANDRIA – On August 4, 2026, United States District Judge Jerry Edwards, Jr., sentenced Dequavious Wagner, 32, of Alexandria, to 270 months in federal prison after he pled guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking. He also received five...