SOUTH BEND, Ind. – On July 28, 2026, DeCarlos Christopher Smallwood, 29, of South Bend, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in...

CHICAGO — As communities throughout Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin attend outdoor concerts, festivals, fairs and other large gatherings this summer, the Drug Enforcement Administration Chicago Field Division is warning the public about the growing threat posed by illicit methamphetamine and counterfeit pills. The warning comes as DEA investigations continue to...

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Two Evansville men have been sentenced to federal prison for operating a methamphetamine trafficking ring in Vanderburgh County. The Crossroads Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), including the Drug Enforcement Administration Indianapolis District Office, led the investigation. Isaac J. Horne, 47, was sentenced to 15 years in federal...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Following a lengthy investigation by the Louisville Homeland Security Task Force, a federal grand jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, returned an indictment on July 15, 2026, charging 13 Owensboro based men and women as part of a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy. All 13 individuals were arrested this week...

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...

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...

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...

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...

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for trafficking firearms and drugs. In the fall of 2024, Efrain Jacobo sold methamphetamine, cocaine and seven firearms in a series of transactions in Joliet. Unbeknownst to Jacobo, the buyers were undercover law enforcement officers...

CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to more than 26 years in federal prison for distributing drugs through a dark web marketplace known as the “Nemesis Market.” Darren Hughes operated a vendor store offering free samples of methamphetamine on the Nemesis Market, one of the world’s largest dark web...