PHOENIX, Ariz — DEA Special Agent in Charge Apolonio Ruiz Jr. joined Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and HIDTA Director Dawn Mertz to announce the results of a major multi-agency drug operation targeting criminal organizations operating in Arizona communities. “This extraordinary investigation saved countless lives,”...

WASHINGTON – Marking a powerful start to 2026, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration dealt a significant blow to drug trafficking networks during Phase II of Operation Fentanyl Free America. Between January 12 and February 10, 2026, DEA seized more than 4.7 million fentanyl pills and nearly 2,396 pounds of fentanyl...

WASHINGTON – Following an increase in the trafficking and abuse of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) throughout the United States, the Drug Enforcement Administration has emergency scheduled bromazolam, a synthetic benzodiazepine used to make counterfeit Xanax tablets. The emergency scheduling of bromazolam places it into Schedule I under the Controlled Substances...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Sebastian Enrique Marset Cabrera, 34, an alleged cocaine trafficker from Uruguay, made his initial appearance in federal court today on charges relating to his alleged role in a money laundering conspiracy. Marset was added to the DEA’s Most Wanted Fugitive List in May 2025. Court documents alleged...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Eduardo Valenzuela Lopez, 33, of Cajeme, Sonora, Mexico, and Jael Gonzalez Banuelos, 22, of Phoenix, Arizona, were arrested on the morning of Feb. 24, 2026, by members of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for conspiring to distribute fentanyl. Valenzuela Lopez and Gonzalez Banuelos were charged by criminal...

INDIANAPOLIS - Ten defendants have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in a multi-county fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking operation spanning Indianapolis, Muncie, Terre Haute, and other areas throughout the Southern District of Indiana. Defendant Charge(s) Sentence Joshua Kendall, 44, of Indianapolis Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances 33...

CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for coordinating more than 200 shipments of methamphetamine from California to Chicago. In 2022 and 2023, Keith R. McCormick mailed more than 200 parcels—each containing a pound of 90-100% pure methamphetamine—from his residence in Sacramento, California, to...

Brad D. Schimel, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on Feb. 10, 2026, Joathan Colula, 33, was sentenced to 228 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and for conspiracy to commit money laundering. A jury had found Colula guilty of both charges...

Washington - The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in coordination with federal partners and the People’s Republic of China convened the Bilateral Drug Intelligence Working Group (BDIWG) in Colorado Springs February 10 to 12, 2026. This working group brought together law enforcement, prosecutors, customs, border security, public security, financial supervision, and...

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Jaron Williams, 44, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced Feb. 10, 2026, to 72 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl, a mixture...