SOUTH BEND, Ind. – On July 28, 2026, DeCarlos Christopher Smallwood, 29, of South Bend, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in...

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Two Evansville men have been sentenced to federal prison for operating a methamphetamine trafficking ring in Vanderburgh County. The Crossroads Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), including the Drug Enforcement Administration Indianapolis District Office, led the investigation. Isaac J. Horne, 47, was sentenced to 15 years in federal...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Following a lengthy investigation by the Louisville Homeland Security Task Force, a federal grand jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, returned an indictment on July 15, 2026, charging 13 Owensboro based men and women as part of a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy. All 13 individuals were arrested this week...

INDIANAPOLIS - Deontai Williams, 33, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, after a federal jury found him guilty of trafficking in fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine; illegally possessing eight firearms as a convicted felon; and possessing those firearms in...

HAMMOND, Ind. - On July 14, 2026, Darod Wheeler, 55, of Gary, was found guilty following a two-day trial presided over by U.S. District Court Judge Philip P. Simon. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 8, 2026. “The Defendant was found guilty for trafficking methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin. According to trial...

SAN DIEGO – Ten-time felon Robert Stokes of San Diego was sentenced in federal court today to 10 years in prison for his latest crimes: Trafficking PCP and methamphetamine and illegally possessing multiple firearms as a convicted felon. According to court records, on August 28, 2025, members of the Drug...

SAN DIEGO – An indictment unsealed today charges Carlos Paez Pereda, aka “Carlitos,” aka “Carlitos Rugrats,” alleged high-ranking lieutenant and leader of a violent wing of the Sinaloa Cartel called “Los Rugrats,” with Narcoterrorism and Material Support of Terrorism in connection with trafficking massive amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine...

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – On June 10, 2026, Bao Xu, 33, of Los Angeles, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine and distributing five grams or more of methamphetamine. Xu was sentenced to 121 months in prison...

HAMMOND, Ind. – On June 8, 2026, Nathaniel Johnson, 21, of Gary, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to distribution of a schedule II-controlled substance and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Nathaniel Johnson was sentenced to 96 months...

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for trafficking firearms and drugs. In the fall of 2024, Efrain Jacobo sold methamphetamine, cocaine and seven firearms in a series of transactions in Joliet. Unbeknownst to Jacobo, the buyers were undercover law enforcement officers...