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...

Lubbock, TX - A former Texas Tech marketing and supply chain professor pled guilty today for his leadership role in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould. Daniel Taylor, 51, of Lubbock, Texas, was charged in February 2026 with conspiracy to...

Gainesville, Fla. – Eddie Jerome Scott, 38, of Gainesville, Fla., pleaded guilty in federal court to distribution of methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl; carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime; and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The...

Tampa, Fla. – Eric Turner (30, Georgia) and Jose Smith (29, Valrico) have been charged in a federal indictment with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin. If convicted, Turner and Smith each face a minimum of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Gregory W...

CAPE GIRARDEAU – An Alabama man has admitted involvement in the burglary of a Kennett, Missouri pharmacy last year and the theft of 16,800 pills, U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus announced Monday. Cornelius Cardez Bray, 31, of Birmingham, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of intent to steal a controlled...

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- A Dubuque man who distributed methamphetamine and attempted to escape from a correctional facility was sentenced on June 30, to 25 years in federal prison. Christopher Allen Puccio, age 32, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a July 21, 2025, guilty plea to one...

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration filed its intent to temporarily place 7-hydroxymitagynine (7-OH) and three related substances into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Prior to DEA issuing this notice, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed synthetic 7-OH, and the three related...

Albany, New York – Felix Arencibia, age 40, of Amsterdam, New York, was sentenced today to 168 months’ imprisonment and five years of post-imprisonment supervised release for conspiracy and methamphetamine distribution charges in connection with his distribution and possession with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of pure methamphetamine...

MINNEAPOLIS – United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced today the unsealing of an indictment and superseding indictment charging members and associates of two Minnesota-based drug trafficking organizations with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, firearms offenses, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and causing death through use of...

Jacksonville, Fla. – Henglie Zhou (31, China) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jordan E. Pratt to five years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. Zhou pleaded guilty on March 5, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the...