Yakima, Wash. – Thirteen people are charged following the return of 12 indictments alleging more than a dozen charges against these defendants for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana on the Yakama Nation Reservation. The arrests follow a long-term joint federal, local, and tribal investigation that began in late 2024...

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Malcolm Jamal Norvilus, 39, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was sentenced July 1, 2025, to 120 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Kendrick Jermaine Hills Jr., 22, of Williston, Florida, has been indicted in federal court for charges related to armed drug trafficking. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges. Hills was arrested on July 10, 2025, and appeared before United...

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Calvin Eugene Williams, 35, of Panama City, Fla., has been indicted in federal court for trafficking in methamphetamine on two separate occasions. John P. Heekin, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges. Williams was indicted for possessing with the intent to distribute...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Jason Rigdon, 44, of Crawfordville, Florida, pleaded guilty July 9, 2025, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of multiple firearms by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. “I applaud the...

Tampa, Fla. – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Vicente Lopez Mero (67, Ecuador) to 19 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine on a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Lopez Mero pleaded guilty on...

TACOMA, Wash. – Key members of a drug trafficking organization connected to the Aryan Family prison gang were sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to prison terms. Jesse James Bailey, 40, was sentenced to 210 months (17.5 years) in prison. His wife, Candace Bailey, 43, was sentenced to...

SEATTLE, Wash.--Dr. Andrew Voegel-Podadera, 35, a resident physician at the University of Washington Medical School who worked at Seattle Children’s Hospital, UW Medicine, and Harborview Medical Center is charged with two counts of Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Misrepresentation, Fraud, Deception, and Subterfuge. On June 24th, 2025, DEA Seattle Diversion...

PENSACOLA, FLA. – Today, United States Attorney John P. Heekin announced criminal charges against four defendants with an alleged scheme to unlawfully divert oxycodone, hydrocodone, and amphetamine. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. All the cases are...

GAINESVILLE, FLA. – Khiri Jackson, 31, of Cross City, Fla., pled guilty in federal court to possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Methamphetamine...