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WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department plans to press ahead with a merger of its two agencies that investigate drug and firearms offenses, though the effort would still need approval from Congress, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.In a meeting on Thursday, officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were informed that the merger could be executed as soon as October, one of the sources said, speaking anonymously because the discussions are not public.The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade...

On Tuesday, Attorney General Pamela Bondi held a press conference announcing a week-long, multi-agency and multi-law enforcement and tribal operation headed by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the New Mexico District Attorney’s Office. The operation resulted in huge drug busts and multiple arrests of high-level members of the Sinaloa cartel. According to Bondi, the agents garnered 11.5 kilos of fentanyl, including three million fentanyl pills — the largest seizure in the nation's history. The main head of the Sinaloa cartel, Alberto Salazar Amaya, was arrested along with five others, all in the country illegally. Amaya was arrested in Salem,...

Dramatic footage captured the moment hundreds of DEA agents descended on a Colorado nightclub over the weekend, detaining more than 100 illegal immigrants in an early morning raid. More than 300 law enforcement officers from both federal and local agencies were involved in the operation, seizing drugs and weapons from the underground nightclub on Sunday morning in Colorado Springs. A total of 114 illegal migrants were detained in the raid on the underground club allegedly frequented by members of the MS-13 criminal organization, according to authorities. Federal officers can be seen breaking a large front window of an unbranded building...

The fentanyl seized by our team in this case could have yielded over 1.5 million lethal doses - enough to kill everyone in Portland twice.".. Federal and local law enforcement agencies arrested 46 Honduran nationals on drug trafficking charges in Portland, Oregon, following an extensive joint operation to disrupt open-air drug markets in Multnomah County. Authorities seized an array of illicit drugs, firearms, and cash. The Honduran nationals were reportedly working on behalf of the Mexican Sinaloa Drug Cartel, a designated foreign terror group, according to a press release. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Seattle Field Division said that the...

Major federal law enforcement raids in Kentucky have taken down dozens of dangerous illegal aliens and executed a large-scale deportation operation. 81 illegal aliens were arrested in a four-day sweep as part of “Operation Take Back America.” ... United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Kentucky confirmed that 25 of those arrested are now facing serious federal criminal charges. The crackdown, based out of Louisville, saw immigration enforcement officers detaining individuals from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Cuba, India, and Palau. Among them, 25 are now charged with crimes such as unlawful reentry, illegal firearm possession, and drug-related...

A Mexican drug kingpin who was depicted in Netflix’s gritty crime drama “Narcos” was hauled into Brooklyn court Friday — wearing the handcuffs that belonged to the DEA agent he was convicted of kidnapping, torturing and murdering in 1985. Rafael Caro Quintero, a founding member of the Guadalajara cartel, pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in federal court in front of a packed room of more than 100 Drug Enforcement Administration agents and other members of law enforcement. The white-haired Quintero, 72, who wore tan pants and a blue and orange shirt, was brought into the courtroom with his...

A drug cartel kingpin, known as the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s top target for his role in the killing of a DEA agent, was moved from Mexico to New York City on Thursday and is expected to face a judge on Friday, according to officials and sources. Rafael Caro Quintero was among 29 cartel members the Mexican government released into US custody as President Trump has threatened to slap imports from Mexico with a 25% tariff on March 4 if the country doesn’t do more to crackdown on illegal immigration drug smuggling. “Obviously, this is one of the biggest days...

A violent Tren de Aragua ringleader wanted over the viral, caught-on-camera break-in in Aurora, Colorado was among the illegal immigrants rounded up in deportation raids in New York City Tuesday, law enforcement sources told The Post. Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 25, was nabbed when heavily armed DEA agents and Homeland Security officers stormed an Ogden Ave. apartment building in the Bronx in the early hours, the sources said. The gangbanger, who sources described as a ringleader of the vicious Venezuelan prison gang, had a warrant out for a slew of charges — including kidnapping, burglary and menacing. Zambrano-Pacheco was allegedly among the...

ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. — The Drug Enforcement Administration detained roughly 50 people in Adams County early Sunday morning at what the special agent in charge called an invitation-only Tren de Aragua party. Denver7 Investigates' cameras exclusively captured video around 5:45 a.m. along the 6600 block of Federal Boulevard in Adams County, showing agents rounding up people and escorting them onto a bus. Most of the people detained are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen, the DEA was executing a federal search warrant at a vacant property where a...

Ross Ulbricht has been pardoned by President Donald Trump

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The sheriff of the nation’s fifth-largest county on Tuesday defied a new policy to limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, setting up a showdown... Earlier Tuesday, San Diego County supervisors voted to prohibit its sheriff’s department from working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the federal agency’s enforcement of civil immigration laws... Shortly after, Sheriff Kelly Martinez said the board does not set set policy for the sheriff, who, like the supervisors, is an elected official. She said she wouldn’t honor the new policy....

President-elect Donald Trump used a “forceful hand” to get his Drug Enforcement Agency pick to drop out on Tuesday after hearing “concerns” about the Floridian’s record, sources familiar told The Post — leading outgoing Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) to make a bid for the position. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister issued a lengthy statement indicating he was withdrawing his name for the DEA slot — but did not reveal the specific reason he was dropping out of the confirmation process after just three days. “Everyone knows President Trump calls the shots,” a well-placed source spilled. “The president heard the concerns...

Hillsborough County Sherrif Chad Chronister, a COVID-19 mandate enforcer, has withdrawn his name from nomination as head of the Drug Enforcement Agency. Chronister announces via Twitter:

Chad Chronister, Donald Trump’s pick to run the Drug Enforcement Administration, said Tuesday he was withdrawing his name from consideration, becoming the second person selected by the president-elect to bow out quickly after being nominated for a position requiring Senate confirmation. Sheriff Chronister, the top law enforcement officer in Hillsborough County, Florida, said in a post on X that he was backing away from the opportunity, which he called “the honor of a lifetime.” “Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I’ve concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration,” Chronister wrote....

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister has withdrawn his name from consideration for administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency. Chronister was nominated late last month by President-elect Donald Trump to serve in the post. In a statement Tuesday, Chronister said there remains work to be done as sheriff. "To serve as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration is the honor of a lifetime," he said. "Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I’ve concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration...

Donald Trump’s recent announcement of Sheriff Chad Chronister as his nominee for Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator has sparked a fierce backlash among conservatives, who are raising serious concerns about Chronister’s record, particularly his actions during the COVID-19 pandemic and his perceived alignment with leftist policies. ... many conservative voices have condemned the pick, pointing to his actions during the COVID-19 pandemic and his alignment with liberal policies. Among the most controversial moments of Chronister’s career was the arrest of Tampa Bay Pastor Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne in March 2020. The pastor was charged with violating public health orders after keeping...

Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump announced the appointment of Hillsborough, Florida, County Sheriff Chad Chronister as head of the Drug Enforcement Administration. No one is quite sure how Sheriff Chronister popped on the radar. A lot of Florida alumni are showing up in Trump 2.0, and, of course, Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi started her political career as the prosecutor in Hillsborough County. This is the announcement. 🚨BREAKING: Trump just nominated Sheriff Chad Chronister for Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). pic.twitter.com/2quKTs0apl — Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) November 30, 2024 In the cold light of the "morning after," many things are...

President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday that he is tapping Republican Florida sheriff Chad Chronister to serve as administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. In a post to his Truth Social platform, Trump said Chronister will work with former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump's pick to lead the Department of Justice, "to secure the Border, stop the flow of Fentanyl, and other Illegal Drugs, across the Southern Border." Bondi was chosen by Trump after his previous selection, former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, withdrew his nomination amid a House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations against him of sexual misconduct. Chronister...

The Justice Department has ordered the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to suspend most searches of passengers at airports and other mass transit hubs after an independent investigation found DEA task forces weren't documenting searches and weren't properly trained, creating a significant risk of constitutional violations and lawsuits. The deputy attorney general directed the DEA on November 12 to halt what are known as "consensual encounter" searches at airports—unless they're part of an existing investigation into a criminal network—after seeing the draft of a Justice Department Office of Inspector General (OIG) memorandum that outlined a decade's worth of "significant concerns" about...

The DOD just announced that all civilian spec ops are to report directly to Chris Miller. My understanding is all the spec ops teams from CIA, FBI, DEA, DHS, etc now report directly to the DOD instead of using the traditional chain of command bypassing the corrupt bureaucrats. I am not sure, but this seems like a big deal.