PHOENIX, Ariz. – Juan Alfonso Torres-Rodriguez, 27, of Mexico, was charged by criminal complaint on March 9, 2023, with one count of Possessing Suspected Fentanyl Pills for Distribution. The complaint alleges that, on the evening of March 8, 2023, law enforcement officers observed Torres-Rodriguez participating in a suspected drug transaction...

PHOENIX– Today, DEA in partnership with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and the Tempe Police Department announced the culmination of a three-year long investigation targeting the Sinaloa Drug Cartel. To date, over 150 individuals have been charged and investigators have seized over 4.5 million fentanyl laced fake prescription pills, 66...

TUCSON, Ariz. – Last week, Francisco Pantoja, 25, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to nine years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Pantoja pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl in connection with the overdose death of a young...

TUCSON, Ariz. - A federal grand jury in Tucson, Arizona, returned a 19-count indictment on November 10, 2022, against 10 current or former southern Arizona residents, including: Alberto Gabriel Aranda-Ramon, 31, of Tucson, Arizona Michele Oller, 54, of Tucson, Arizona Larry William Nelson, Jr., 51, of Arizona Ashley Yvonne Maxwell...

PHOENIX - Alexandro Luis Gomez, 30, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced on September 28, 2022, by United States District Judge Rosemary Márquez to 17 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Gomez previously pleaded guilty to Distribution of a Controlled Substance connected to the overdose death of...

PHOENIX – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration today announced the results of an enforcement operation that spanned from May to September and resulted in significant fentanyl seizures across the United States. “On the frontline as we race to save lives, DEA Arizona continues to seize historic amounts of deadly fentanyl,”...

LOS ANGELES – A federal judge last week sentenced a former Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Officer to 2 years and 3 months in federal prison for participating in a narcotics-trafficking conspiracy. United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt on Thursday, September 1st sentenced ex-TSA Officer Ronald McCrea, 32, who pleaded...

LOS ANGELES – A Downey man has been arrested on federal charges of selling counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl to a 17-year-old Downey female who suffered a fatal overdose from the synthetic opioid, the Justice Department announced today. Jonathan Limas-Reyes, 26, was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon by special agents...

PHOENIX - Special Agent in Charge Cheri Oz and Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced Luis Torres Jaramillo was sentenced to 9.25 years prison on July 13, 2022 for his involvement in a drug trafficking organization. On July 22, 2021, police arrested Jaramillo after observing him conduct a drug transaction...

LOS ANGELES – Two Arizona men face federal charges after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Los Angeles Field Division’s Enforcement Group 2, in coordination with the Burbank Police Department, seized 100,000 fake oxycodone pills. A criminal complaint filed in federal court alleges that, in the early morning hours of...