ARIZONA – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is intensifying its fight against the deadly threat of synthetic opioids with the launch of Fentanyl Free America, a comprehensive enforcement initiative and public awareness campaign aimed at reducing both the supply and demand for fentanyl. This effort underscores DEA's unwavering commitment to...

Phoenix, Ariz. – Jose Guadalupe Tapia-Quintero, 54, of San Francisco de Tacuichamona, Sinaloa, Mexico pleaded guilty on November 17, 2025 for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine with Intent to Import into the United States and Conspiracy to Commit Concealment Money Laundering. Sentencing is scheduled for February 2, 2026, before United States...

ALBUQUERQUE – Two Mexican nationals illegally present in the United States were sentenced to 17 and 22 years in federal prison following a multi-agency drug investigation that uncovered methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine and multiple loaded firearms at an Albuquerque residence. There is no parole in the federal system. According to court...

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 Guyamas, 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...

Note: View the Indictment ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque man has been indicted on federal charges following a DEA investigation that uncovered a large-scale narcotics trafficking operation in Albuquerque. According to court documents, on August 13, 2025, DEA agents conducted an undercover operation in Albuquerque in which Jose Magana Garcia, a...

ALBUQUERQUE – A Hobbs woman involved in a high-speed chase with law enforcement was sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for drug trafficking and firearms offenses uncovered during an investigation into a significant fentanyl and methamphetamine distribution operation. According to court records, on October 19, 2023, agents with the...

ALBUQUERQUE – A federal jury convicted an Albuquerque man for his role in a multi-state fentanyl trafficking organization, following an operation that resulted in the largest single fentanyl pill seizure in DEA history. The verdict came after a six-day trial and approximately eight hours of deliberation. The conviction of Alex...