United States Drug Enforcement Administration

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Angel Valencia-Avendano, 20, of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, was sentenced last week by United States Chief District Judge G. Murray Snow to 84 months in prison. Valencia-Avendano pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl. On March 6, 2023, Valencia-Avendano was arrested and charged with fentanyl trafficking...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Sally Joyce Nyemba, 33, of Phoenix, was sentenced on Monday to 18 months in prison by United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich. Nyemba pleaded guilty to Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine on August 31, 2023. Nyemba was a practicing attorney and is a former...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – In 2023, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) 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...

Phoenix, Ariz. - On November 29, 2023, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned an 11-count indictment against Jorge Damian Roman-Figueroa, Luis Eduardo Roman-Flores, Manuel Jose Bernal, Joel Salazar-Ballesteros, and Jesus Armando Gonzalez-Villela, citizens of Mexico, for Conspiracy to Transport Aliens; Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments; Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Steve Lugo Leon, 24, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge G. Murray Snow to 70 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Leon pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 40 Grams or More of a Mixture...

TUCSON, Ariz. – David Wayne Radde, 60, of Tucson, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to 120 months in prison. Radde pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. On November 10, 2020, Pima County Sheriff’s...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Juan Alfonso Torres-Rodriguez, 27, of Mexico, was charged by criminal complaint on March 9, 2023, with one count of Possessing Suspected Fentanyl Pills for Distribution. The complaint alleges that, on the evening of March 8, 2023, law enforcement officers observed Torres-Rodriguez participating in a suspected drug transaction...

PHOENIX– Today, DEA in partnership with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and the Tempe Police Department announced the culmination of a three-year long investigation targeting the Sinaloa Drug Cartel. To date, over 150 individuals have been charged and investigators have seized over 4.5 million fentanyl laced fake prescription pills, 66...

PHOENIX – Special Agent in Charge Cheri Oz and Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced today that Jose Luis Montoya Miranda has been indicted on one count Conspiracy, one count Illegally Conducting an enterprise, one count Transportation of a Narcotic Drug for sale (Fentanyl) in an Amount over the Statutory Threshold...

TUCSON, Ariz. – Tyrell Kester, 36, of Marana, Arizona, was sentenced last week by U.S. District Judge Rosemary Márquez to 57 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Kester previously pleaded guilty to possession of ammunition by a prohibited person. On April 22, 2021, federal agents and...