Homeland Security Task Force

A U.S. Homeland Security Task Force dismantled an Arizona-based cross-border arms trafficking ring, seizing 100 weapons and 125,000 rounds of ammunition, and securing 28 indictments. Fernando Daniel Castro, a 24-year-old Phoenix resident, is accused of leading the operation, which legally purchased firearms before smuggling them into Mexico. The Mexican government has urged the U.S. to address the flow of weapons used by cartels.

Two Honduran men were sentenced to federal prison for trafficking fentanyl in North Carolina and will be deported after serving their terms. The investigation revealed drug distribution, stolen firearms, and over $159,400 in transactions documented in seized ledgers.

At least 46 people were charged and 94 firearms were seized in Palm Beach County during the ATF’s two-month ‘Operation Hurricane’ targeting gun violence, drug trafficking, and violent crime. The multi-agency effort involved local and federal authorities, including the Department of Justice and Homeland Security Task Force.

A Mexican man was sentenced for meth trafficking in North Carolina after an investigation by the Homeland Security Task Force. Anselmo Nava-Sanchez, 32, distributed hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine into the U.S. for a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization.

Federal prosecutors have charged 11 Venezuelan and Colombian nationals in a multi-state case alleging sex trafficking of a minor and an adult woman, drug dealing, and illegal firearm trafficking. Ten defendants were arrested in Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Florida, while one remains at large. The indictment includes 30 counts and accuses the group of creating online sex advertisements and selling ecstasy.

Armando Garcia-Martinez was sentenced to 195 months in federal prison for conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy. The case was investigated by a Homeland Security Task Force in Del Rio.

Three New Mexico men were charged with conspiracy to transport aliens and conspiracy to kill a witness following an investigation by Joint Task Force Alpha and the Homeland Security Task Force. The federal grand jury indictment names Wilfrido Saenz, Ignacio Jaramillo, and Ismael Jaramillo for their roles in the scheme.

Jordy Alexander Amaya, of Oklahoma, was sentenced in Del Rio to 360 months in federal prison for trafficking cocaine from Mexico into the United States. The case was handled by a Homeland Security Task Force.

A Homeland Security Task Force investigation resulted in the sentencing of an illegal alien from Mexico who operated as a local leader of a drug trafficking organization with ties to the CJNG Cartel.

Illegal aliens from Mexico were sentenced to prison for distributing counterfeit Adderall pills. The case involved a Homeland Security Task Force investigation.

Hugo Alberto Herrera Rodriguez, a Mexican national residing unlawfully in California, faces an eight-count indictment for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, distributing those drugs, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges follow an investigation by a Homeland Security Task Force.

An illegal alien was found with more than a kilogram of cocaine and a firearm and was sentenced to nine years in federal prison as part of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation.

An Anchorage man was sentenced to 10.8 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to traffic drugs to Alaska and into the Anchorage community. The case involved a Homeland Security Task Force investigation.

Reginald Jones, a Sacramento man, pleaded guilty to 15 drug trafficking offenses and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was involved in shipping approximately half-a-million fentanyl pills across the United States as part of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Puerto Rico, in collaboration with the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), announced prosecutorial results including indictments, guilty pleas, and sentencings from May 26 to May 29, 2026. The HSTF aims to combat transnational criminal organizations such as cartels, trafficking networks, and foreign terrorist groups.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas prosecuted 35 defendants in May 2026 as part of Homeland Security Task Force investigations. The office secured five convictions and obtained five substantial sentences totaling 944 months in federal prison.

Two multi-state drug trafficking organizations were disrupted with 19 defendants charged and 13 federal arrests made in Maryland and West Virginia. The operation was part of a Homeland Security Task Force initiative.

Four individuals were charged with conspiring to distribute over $45 million worth of cocaine through a sophisticated cross-border tunnel discovered near a retail store in Otay Mesa, California. The tunnel, extending from Tijuana, Mexico, was reinforced with walls, rail, ventilation, and electricity.

Lester Arrington, 34, of Naugatuck waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty to a cocaine trafficking charge in Bridgeport. The case was handled by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill.

A Fort Worth man was sentenced to over 29 years in federal prison for methamphetamine trafficking following an investigation by the Homeland Security Task Force in the Eastern District of Texas. The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Marcus Miller, a 36-year-old from Sacramento, pleaded guilty to 15 drug trafficking charges and one firearms offense. The case involved shipping 500,000 fentanyl pills nationwide and was investigated by a Homeland Security Task Force.

A New Orleans man pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking violations following a Homeland Security Task Force investigation in the Eastern District of Texas. The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

A Beaumont resident has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking and firearms violations following a Homeland Security Task Force investigation in the Eastern District of Texas, as announced by U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Kavankumar Patel, 27, of Gujarat, India, was sentenced on May 26, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for two counts of sex trafficking of a minor. The case was part of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation.

A Port Arthur woman has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking violations following a Homeland Security Task Force investigation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

An Oklahoma man has been sentenced to federal prison following an investigation by the Homeland Security Task Force in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Orlando Nembhard was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison for leading a multi-state methamphetamine conspiracy. The Homeland Security Task Force investigation uncovered his role in distributing large quantities of meth across the country.

Reginald Rogers, a 37-year-old man from Woodbridge, was found with 21 kilos of cocaine and pleaded guilty to a cocaine trafficking charge before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport. He waived his right to be indicted as part of the case.

A Houston man was sentenced to four years in federal prison for a violent ATM hook and chain crime spree in the Eastern District of Texas, as part of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation. The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Deputy District Attorney Cindy De Silva from Stanislaus County has been appointed as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney to prosecute federal cases involving transnational drug organizations operating in the county. The appointment was announced by U.S. Attorney Eric Grant and Stanislaus County District Attorney Jeff Laugero as part of the Homeland Security Task Force efforts.

A Beaumont man pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking violations following an investigation by the Homeland Security Task Force in the Eastern District of Texas. The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

A 41-year-old Cuban national was extradited from Panama to Houston to face charges including sex trafficking, extortion, and cyberstalking. He allegedly used threats and violence to coerce four Cuban nationals into commercial sex acts for financial gain. The case was investigated by a Homeland Security Task Force.

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Puerto Rico announced investigative and prosecutorial results from the Homeland Security Task Force for the week of May 11-15, 2026. The HSTF is an interagency law enforcement task force created to combat transnational criminal organizations including cartels, trafficking networks, and foreign terrorist organizations.

Jose C. Valencia-Soriano, a 34-year-old from Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty to providing material support to a Michoacan-based cartel designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The guilty plea resulted from a Homeland Security Task Force investigation into his involvement with the FTO.