ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Peters, Missouri was charged with drug and gun crimes Wednesday after a toddler overdosed on fentanyl. Kevin Lamar Knowles, 50, was charged by complaint in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, one count...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Over the past week, federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, with the help of prosecutors, cleared 442 warrants, most of which are for violent crimes. Today, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the results of “Operation Red Card”, a multi-agency law enforcement operation that identified...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Cleveland, Mo. man was charged by criminal complaint after investigators seized 86 pounds of methamphetamine. Russell D. Kircher, 41, was charged in a one-count criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint on...

ST LOUIS– The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will recognize National Fentanyl Awareness Day, Wednesday, April 29, as a show of support for the agency’s valued partners in law enforcement, public health and non-profit agencies. Fentanyl-related deaths have decreased in the past several years, yet fentanyl remains the leading cause...

ST. LOUIS – Three St. Louis area residents have admitted selling fentanyl and other drugs via social media, including drugs that caused one fatal and one nonfatal overdose. Aeman Ali, 23, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday to aiding and abetting the maintaining of a drug-involved...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – An illegal alien who shot at Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agents attempting to arrest him during a fentanyl sale on Feb. 24, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for attempted murder. Eduardo Valenzuela Lopez, 33, of Cajeme, Sonora, Mexico, has been charged with Attempted...

Phoenix, ARIZ – On March 26, 2026, Ismael Alejandro Ortiz was sentenced to five years in prison by the Pima County Superior Court. On July 29, 2025, in Pima County, Arizona, Ortiz attempted to knowingly transport approximately 12.9 pounds of cocaine for sale, using a mobile barbershop bus as cover...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Over the past week, more than 100 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers worked together with prosecutors to arrest and charge 101 individuals in federal investigations for violent crimes. Today, the Justice Department announced the results of “Operation Spring Cleaning”, a multi-agency law enforcement operation conducted...

PHOENIX, Ariz — DEA Special Agent in Charge Apolonio Ruiz Jr. joined Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and HIDTA Director Dawn Mertz to announce the results of a major multi-agency drug operation targeting criminal organizations operating in Arizona communities. “This extraordinary investigation saved countless lives,”...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Eduardo Valenzuela Lopez, 33, of Cajeme, Sonora, Mexico, and Jael Gonzalez Banuelos, 22, of Phoenix, Arizona, were arrested on the morning of Feb. 24, 2026, by members of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for conspiring to distribute fentanyl. Valenzuela Lopez and Gonzalez Banuelos were charged by criminal...