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...

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...

TUCSON, Ariz. – Aaron Leopoldo Aguirre-Gutierrez, 50, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced on Jan. 20, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins to 48 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Aguirre-Gutierrez previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine. Between Feb. 24, 2024, to...

Tucson, Ariz. – Ramon Renteria, 33, of Avondale, Arizona, was sentenced on Jan. 15, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Angela M. Martinez to 64 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release, with community restitution and a fine totaling $7,000. Renteria previously pleaded guilty to Possession with...

PHOENIX - DEA today announced results from the 2015 National Drug Threat (NDTA), which finds that drug overdose deaths are the leading cause of injury death in the United States, ahead of motor vehicle deaths and firearms. In 2013, over 46,000 people in the United States died from drug overdose...

PHOENIX - Drug Enforcement (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Doug Coleman announced today the execution of over 15 arrest warrants stemming from a federal grand jury indictment of a predominantly female methamphetamine trafficking organization operating in the Colorado River Indian Reservation. Two other subjects were in custody at the time...

PHOENIX - DEA announced today, the results of an investigation of an Allentown, PA, based chemical company, who pleaded guilty to six charges including failing to report the disappearance of shipments of (MMA), a precursor for the manufacture of methamphetamine. Taminco US, Inc. (“Taminco”) has also reached a settlement with...

PHOENIX - The Drug Enforcement (DEA) finalized the collection and tally of prescription drugs turned in this past Saturday by citizens across Arizona in conjunction with DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. In all, over 10,601 pounds of controlled substances were removed from homes throughout the state in a...