Paulette Allen, age 64, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced March 3, 2026, to more than 3 years in federal prison, after an October 9, 2025, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, and two counts of distribution of controlled substances. Donald Most, age 61, from Sioux City...

SIOUX CITY, Iowa-- A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine and possessed with intent to distribute methamphetamine was convicted by a jury April 29, 2026, after a 2-day trial in federal court in Sioux City. Shelton Lapointe, 36, from Sioux City, Iowa, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to...

BEAUMONT, Texas – Five members of a Houston drug trafficking organization have been sentenced to lengthy terms in federal prison as part of the Homeland Security Task Force in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Houston Division Special Agent in Charge Brian C. Leardo and U.S...

OMAHA, Neb. – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will recognize National Fentanyl Awareness Day, Wednesday, April 29, as a show of support for the agency’s valued partners in law enforcement, public health and non-profit agencies. Fentanyl-related deaths have decreased in the past several years, yet fentanyl remains the leading...

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa- A licensed pharmacist who created fake patient profiles to steal prescription drugs containing controlled substances was sentenced on April 15, to a three‑year term of probation. Ryan Paul Etscheid, age 40, from La Salle, Illinois, received the sentence after an October 27, 2025, guilty plea to acquiring...

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 34-year-old Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, man has been ordered to prison for attempting to smuggle cocaine through the Border Patrol checkpoint near Kingsville, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge of the Houston Division Brian C. Leardo and Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck. Eric...

Todd Babb, 62, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced in federal court in Sioux City on April 6, 2026, to 210 months’ imprisonment. Babb pled guilty November 19, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Evidence showed that Babb was previously convicted of at least five prior felony drug offenses, one...

SIOUX CITY, Iowa - A man who possessed with the intent to distribute fentanyl was sentenced today to more than 12 years in federal prison. Alfredo Soberanes, 31, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 4, 2025, guilty plea to one count of possession with intent...

A woman who distributed a mixture of fentanyl, heroin, and xylazine that caused an overdose death was sentenced April 6, to 21 years in federal prison. Bridgette Marie Washington, age 47, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 22, 2025, guilty plea to one count of distribution...

An indictment was unsealed today in the Southern District of Texas charging James Robles, 70, of Weslaco, Texas, with operating a cash-only clinic in Houston that he used to sell prescriptions for controlled substances. According to court documents, Robles, a medical doctor licensed to practice in Texas, conspired with others...