NEW ORLEANS – A coordinated, multi-agency narcotics investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New Orleans Field Division, alongside the Louisiana State Police High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (LSP HIDTA), the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), has resulted in the arrest...

INDIANAPOLIS - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana has secured prison sentences for six individuals convicted of trafficking methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl and other controlled substances. Each prosecution stemmed from a separate investigation and was individually resolved in March or April of 2026. Defendant Conviction(s) Sentence Prior...

SOUTH BEND, Indiana – Charles Pheal Jr., 35, of Michigan City, was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to distributing 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. “While drug dealing, Mr. Pheal alleged to be selling...

GREENVILLE, MS – Harold Cook, 55, of Fort Worth, Texas, pleaded guilty today after a federal jury was selected. This concludes a major Homeland Security Task Force operation involving 19 defendants, more than 25 kilograms of cocaine and $150,000 in drug proceeds and multiple vehicles seized. According to court documents...

NEW ORLEANS – On April 25, 2026, the DEA New Orleans Field Division joined local law enforcement partners across the Gulf Coast for the 30th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Within the division (which covers Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama), communities successfully removed a combined 63,119 pounds of unneeded...

HAMMOND, Indiana – David Winchell, 48, of Rohnert Park, California, was sentenced to 84 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute marijuana and money laundering. Winchell was also ordered to pay a $680,000 money judgment. “The Drug Enforcement Administration will...

INDIANAPOLIS - Arieon Lofton, 27, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 16 years and two months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. According to court documents, on July 26, 2025, the victim...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Texas man appeared in federal court on April 30, 2026, after being charged by criminal complaint on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, for possessing a substance containing methamphetamine with intent to distribute it, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A). William Mayes, Jr., 35, was...

COVINGTON, LA – On Wednesday, April 29, 2026, a federal partner investigation led to the conviction of James Spikes, Jr., 48, of Bogalusa, Louisiana, on felony charges involving the trafficking of significant quantities of fentanyl and illegal weapon possession. Following a trial in St. Tammany Parish, a jury found Spikes...

LITTLE ROCK—Tommy Avance, a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 240 months in federal prison after his conviction for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge...