United States Drug Enforcement Administration

LOS ANGELES – A San Luis Obispo County woman was arraigned today on a federal grand jury indictment alleging, among other crimes, that she knowingly distributed fentanyl, the use of which resulted in a victim’s fatal overdose in May 2023. Jessica Leigh Alalia, 30, a.k.a. “Jessica Mitchell,” of Paso Robles...

NEWARK, N.J. – A Bronx, New York, man today admitted distributing heroin and fentanyl into New Jersey from two drug mills in the Bronx, which resulted in the death of a 15-month-old child, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Jhan Carlos Capellan Maldonado, 35, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge...

DENVER – On January 17, 2024, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Rocky Mountain Field Division joined the U.S. Department of State to announce a reward offer of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Mexican national Jesus Gonzalez- Penuelas, also known as “Chuy” Gonzalez...

WASHINGTON – In 2023, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration marked its 50th anniversary as the only federal agency dedicated to fighting deadly drugs and drug-related violence. This milestone celebrated a half century of dedication to fighting drug trafficking in the United States and around the world, which threatens the public...

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced the sentencing of two men Friday for drug trafficking in the Lafayette area. United States District Judge Robert R. Summerhays sentenced James Johnwell, 44, of Crowley, Louisiana, to 71 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release for...

TAMPA, Fla . –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the charging of Maximo Espinosa (44, Kissimmee) with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, and fentanyl. If convicted, Espinosa faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison. Because Espinosa was on federal supervised release at...

Note: View the Superseding Indictment . ALBUQUERQUE – Towanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's El Paso Division and Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced the results of a law enforcement operation that resulted in fifteen defendants being...

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, a five-count indictment was unsealed charging Ariana Charles with conspiring to illegally traffic 18 firearms to Brooklyn. The defendant is charged under the gun trafficking provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress and the President enacted in June 2022. The...

DALLAS, TX - Three defendants were sentenced today to a combined 35 years in federal prison for their roles in the drug conspiracy that claimed the lives of three teenagers in North Texas. Jason Xavier Villanueva, 23, Robert Alexander Gaitan, 20, and Rafael Soliz, Jr., 23, were indicted in a...

SPOKANE, Wash. - Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Jaime Alberto Garza, 52, of Othello, Washington, was sentenced after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 40 Grams or More of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Fentanyl...