PHOENIX, Ariz. – Last week, Jose Ismael Castro Leon, 47, a Mexican national living in the United States illegally, was charged by federal criminal complaint in Phoenix, Arizona with Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl. According to the complaint, investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) East...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Last week, John Avendano, 21, of Phoenix, Arizona, was charged by federal criminal complaint in Phoenix, Arizona with Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. According to the complaint, on September 22, a Task Force Officer with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) East Valley Drug Enforcement Task...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jorge Anaya-Valencia, 48, of Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico, who was unlawfully living in Arizona, was sentenced on September 23, by United States District Judge Krissa M. Lanham to 180 months in prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. Anaya-Valencia’s co-defendants, all illegal aliens, were previously sentenced in this case...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – On September 17, Mariano Gomez Padilla, 28, Eduardo Garcia Lopez, 21, and Abel Martinez Valenzuela, 25, all Mexican nationals living in Arizona, were charged by federal criminal complaint with Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. According to the complaint, on September 17, Drug Enforcement...

San Francisco – September 9, 2025, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced the results of a week-long operational surge aimed at dismantling the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world’s most violent and powerful drug cartels, responsible for flooding the United States with fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin. In February, the Trump...

FRESNO, Calif. — Justin Damonte Mitchell, 32, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, two counts of distributing methamphetamine, and one count of distributing fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Bob...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Brayan Missael Nunez-Mendoza, 24, of Sacramento, was sentenced on Aug. 18, 2025, by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb to four years and three months in prison for distribution of fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant and DEA Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris announced...

FRESNO, Calif. — Salvador Vega Rendon Jr., 33, of Turlock, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to 16 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant and...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Rosario Zamora Rojo, 41, of Sacramento, was sentenced Thursday to nine years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. According to court documents, Rosario Zamora Rojo was a source of supply to a drug trafficking organization that was...

TUCSON, Ariz. – Jose Antonio Ornelas, Jr., 33, of Tucson, was sentenced on July 10, by United States District Court Judge Rosemary Márquez to 98 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Ornelas, Jr. previously pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. On October 3...