TUCSON, Ariz. – Sebastian Higuera-Fuentes, 23, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced on Oct. 27, by United States District Judge Raner C. Collins to 60 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Higuera-Fuentes previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. As part of the conspiracy, Higuera-Fuentes...

NEWARK, N.J. – On October 24, 2026, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and more than 4,200 law enforcement partners collected 645,636 pounds of unused medications as part of ongoing efforts to prevent drug misuse. This event marked DEA’s 31st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day with 4,212 collection sites nationwide...

ALBUQUERQUE - Angel Ramirez, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, faces federal drug trafficking and firearm offenses following her arrest during a DEA-led Homeland Security Task Force investigation. "During this operation, DEA agents working alongside our Homeland Security Task Force partners seized more than 40 kilograms of fentanyl powder, representing over 3...

ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque drug trafficker who amassed an arsenal of firearms, including machinegun conversion devices, and hundreds of grams of methamphetamine and fentanyl has been sentenced to nearly 29 years in federal prison. According to court documents, on July 6, 2024, Deundalas Gales, 37, was driving at a high...

CAMDEN, N.J. – Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Field Division Towanda R. Thorne-James and U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Robert Frazer announced a Mexican national admitted yesterday to conspiring to distribute over 260 pounds of methamphetamine into New Jersey—the largest seizure...

NEWARK, N.J. – Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration New Jersey Field Division Towanda R. Thorne-James; Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, under the direction of Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division; Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Newark...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, in collaboration with more than 4,300 law enforcement partners, will host the 31st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Phoenix Field Division currently has 58 registered drop-off locations within Arizona. More than...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – This October, DEA honors the legacy of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena with the annual Red Ribbon Campaign — the nation’s largest, and longest-running, drug prevention program, which serves as the cornerstone of agency’s prevention efforts. The Red Ribbon Campaign supports DEA’s Fentanyl Free America initiative...

EL PASO, Texas – A federal jury convicted an El Paso man for three counts related to fentanyl trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Charles Arellano, 45, was a fentanyl dealer who came under...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Sep. 19 through Sep. 25, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 379 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 155 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United...