BAKERSFIELD, Calif . – Leonard Velazquez-Martinez, 50, of Minnesota, and Joseph Andrade, 38, of Bakersfield, were arrested Monday for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. At the time of his arrest, Andrade was employed as a correctional officer at Wasco...

HAMMOND, Ind. – Michael Henry Minix, age 44, of Knox, Ind., was charged in a six-count indictment with distribution of and possession with intent to distribute Schedule II and III narcotics, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch. The indictment alleged that, beginning in August 2017 through May 2019, Minix distributed oxycodone, a...

SACRAMENTO, Calif . – A grand jury returned a superseding indictment on Thursday that added money laundering charges to six defendants first charged in 2017 in a scheme to use money from China to buy houses to grow marijuana, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. Charged with money laundering are...

FRESNO, Calif . – On June 17, 2019, Carlos Montano, aka “Loco,” 29, of Fresno, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill to 21 years and 10 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, being a felon in possession of a firearm and interstate transportation for prostitution...

SACRAMENTO, Calif . – A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment today against Arturo Zavaleta, 39, of Mexico, charging him with trafficking in heroin, methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime, United States Attorney McGregor Scott announced. According to court documents, on June 3, 2019...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sixteen members and associates of a prison-based gang have been charged after a long-running investigation into drug trafficking and murders inside and outside of California’s prisons. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott, and Special Agent in...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Eddy Steven Sandoval Lopez, 23, a Nicaraguan national residing in Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. According to court documents, Sandoval Lopez distributed cocaine and marijuana on a darknet site, Dream Market, using the vendor accounts “CokeWave,” “SafeDealsDirect,” and “HerbanFarmer.” The Dream Market...

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced today the arrest of Kalib Scott Powell, 25, of Evansville, Ind., for the distribution of a Schedule I controlled substance (fentanyl), resulting in death. The arrest is the result of the investigation into the fentanyl-based overdose death of Jacilynn Holifield...

CHICAGO — A high-level member of the Four Corner Hustlers street gang has been arrested on federal drug charges for allegedly selling wholesale quantities of heroin on the West Side of Chicago. Raymond Betts, 52, of Riverdale, is charged with conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with the intent to...

CHICAGO — The former owner of a Chicago medical clinic was sentenced today to more than six years in federal prison for selling opioid prescriptions to patients whom he knew lacked a legitimate medical need for the drugs. MOHAMMED SHARIFF, who owned Midtown Medical Center in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, conspired...