HAMMOND, Ind. - On July 14, 2026, Darod Wheeler, 55, of Gary, was found guilty following a two-day trial presided over by U.S. District Court Judge Philip P. Simon. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 8, 2026. “The Defendant was found guilty for trafficking methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin. According to trial...

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...

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...

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...

ROCKFORD, Ill. — An Illinois man has been sentenced to over 24 years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine. On Oct. 25, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Bradley Walters’s place of business, Black Sheep Vintage, in Roscoe. Inside the premises, officers located more than...

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...

LAFAYETTE, La. – On June 30, 2026, District Judge David C. Joseph sentenced Marcus Redlich, 26, of Crowley, to 10 years in federal prison for Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(l). A close associate of...

NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana and Drug Enforcement Administration New Orleans Field Division announced today that LIKE CHEN, age 36, was sentenced on July 8, 2026 by United States District Judge Greg G. Guidry to 24 months’ imprisonment, 4 years of supervised release, and...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Today, United States Attorney Thomas Govan and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John P. Scott announced that a Montgomery, Alabama man has been sentenced to prison following convictions for methamphetamine distribution and the illegal possession of a firearm. On July 9, 2026, a United States...