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,”...

OMAHA, Neb., – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) dealt a significant blow to drug trafficking networks during Phase II of Operation Fentanyl Free America, seizing more than 57 million deadly doses of fentanyl nationwide between Jan. 12 and Feb. 10. In 30 days, agents from the five state DEA...

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...

MINNEAPOLIS – A billboard along northbound Interstate 94, south of Lowry Avenue, is designed to encourage conversation about fentanyl in support of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Fentanyl Free America initiative. Fentanyl Free America is DEA’s commitment to protecting the United States from synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, by disrupting...

OMAHA, Neb. – Four billboards designed to spark conversation about fentanyl popped up Feb. 2, in eastern Omaha in support of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Fentanyl Free America initiative. Fentanyl Free America is DEA’s commitment to protecting the United States from synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, by disrupting supply...

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) offices in South Dakota reported a 43% increase in fentanyl powder seizures and 41% decrease in counterfeit pill seizures in 2025 falling in line with a nationwide trend. Across the United States, the DEA has noticed a shift away from pill production...

MINNEAPOLIS – A prior convicted felon was charged in a criminal complaint today with being a felon in possession of a firearm and theft of government property after breaking into an FBI vehicle and stealing a rifle, announced United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. Rosen was joined in the announcement...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Dominik Israel Lopez, 24, of Mesa, Arizona, was sentenced on November 24, 2025, by United States District Judge Krissa Lanham to 108 months of prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Lopez pleaded guilty to Distribution of Fentanyl, with death resulting. In March 2020...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Last week, Jose Ismael Castro Leon, 47, a Mexican national living in the United States illegally, was charged by federal criminal complaint in Phoenix, Arizona with Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl. According to the complaint, investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) East...

A man who conspired to distribute fentanyl was sentenced today to more than seven years in federal prison. Joshua Rysavy, age 35, from South Sioux City, Nebraska, received the prison term after a March 18, 2025, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. At the sentencing hearing, evidence showed that...