Tagged News

• Mexico's military captures top cartel leader in another blow to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel

  April 28, 2026 6:22 PM

  MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Mexico's most powerful criminal enterprise, suffered another blow Monday when the Mexican military captured one of its top leaders in the northwest of the country, two months after the cartel's leader was killed. Audias Flores Silva, also known as "El... more »

• Mexico arrests 6 alleged members of Tren de Aragua and 4 of Jalisco New Generation Cartel

  January 13, 2026 7:13 PM

  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities said Tuesday they had arrested six alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang in Mexico City for crimes related to drug trafficking, extortion and human trafficking, and separately arrested four alleged members of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The announcements came... more »

• US military conducts strike on another suspected drug boat as probe into the first strike begins

  December 5, 2025 3:12 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Southern Command announced that it had conducted another strike against a small boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, following a pause of almost three weeks. It is the 22nd strike the U.S. military has carried out against boats in the Caribbean Sea and... more »

• Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández freed after Trump pardon

  December 2, 2025 5:17 PM

  TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández, sentenced last year to 45 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking operation that moved hundreds of tons of cocaine to the United States, was released from prison following a pardon from President Donald Trump, officials confirmed... more »

• Son of drug kingpin 'El Chapo' pleads guilty in US drug trafficking case in a plea deal

  December 1, 2025 6:16 PM

  CHICAGO (AP) — One of the sons of notorious Mexican drug kingpin "El Chapo" pleaded guilty on Monday to U.S. drug trafficking charges, months after his brother entered a plea deal. Known locally in Mexico as the "Chapitos," or "little Chapos," Joaquin Guzman Lopez and brother Ovidio Guzman Lopez... more »

• Lawmakers voice support for congressional reviews of Trump's military strikes on boats

  November 30, 2025 2:00 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers from both parties said Sunday they support congressional reviews of U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, citing a published report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for all crew members to be... more »

• Mexico rejects Trump's offer of military strikes against cartels — again

  November 18, 2025 3:07 PM

  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's president on Tuesday ruled out allowing U.S. strikes against cartels on Mexican soil, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was willing to do whatever it takes to stop drugs entering the U.S. "It's not going to happen," Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum... more »

• US military's 20th strike on alleged drug-running boat kills 4 in the Caribbean

  November 14, 2025 6:49 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military's 20th strike on a boat accused of transporting drugs has killed four people in the Caribbean Sea, the U.S. military said Friday, coming as the Trump administration escalates its campaign in South American waters. The latest strike happened Monday, according to a social... more »

• US aircraft carrier nears Venezuela in flex of American military power

  November 13, 2025 7:17 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The most advanced U.S. aircraft carrier is expected to reach the waters off Venezuela in days, a flex of American military power not seen in Latin America for generations. Experts disagree on the possibility that American warplanes will catapult off the USS Gerald R. Ford to... more »

• US launches strikes on 4 alleged drug-running boats in the eastern Pacific, killing 14

  October 28, 2025 4:41 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that the U.S. military has carried out strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean on four boats accused of carrying drugs, killing 14 people and leaving one survivor in the deadliest single day since the Trump administration began its divisive campaign against... more »

• US is sending an aircraft carrier to Latin America in major escalation of military firepower

  October 24, 2025 5:15 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military is sending an aircraft carrier to the waters off South America, the Pentagon announced Friday, in the latest escalation of military firepower in a region where the Trump administration has unleashed more rapid strikes in recent days against boats it accuses of carrying drugs.... more »

• US strikes two more alleged drug-carrying boats, this time in the Pacific Ocean

  October 23, 2025 11:54 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military on Wednesday launched its ninth strike against an alleged drug-carrying vessel, killing three people in the eastern Pacific Ocean, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, expanding the Trump administration's campaign against drug trafficking in South America. It followed another strike Tuesday night, also in... more »

• Trump administration has yet to provide Congress hard evidence that targeted boats carried drugs, officials say

  October 8, 2025 6:12 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has yet to provide underlying evidence to lawmakers proving that alleged drug-smuggling boats targeted by the U.S. military in a series of fatal strikes were in fact carrying narcotics, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. As bipartisan frustration with the... more »

• Woman arrested in Weslaco in connection with cocaine trafficking scheme

  September 23, 2025 12:03 PM

  A 34-year-old woman is scheduled to be sentenced after admitting to conspiring to possess with the intent to deliver more than five kilograms of cocaine, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. According to the news release, 34-year-old Edith Gonzalez admitted she... more »

• Records: Employees at Donna drive-thru sold $40 worth of cocaine to undercover officers Play Video

  September 19, 2025 8:45 PM

  Employees at a Donna drive-thru that was the target of a Sept. 11 drug bust sold $40 of cocaine to undercover agents with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission prior to the raid, according to criminal complaints obtained by Channel 5 News. Nicolasa Limon Lopez, Milagros Aide Ruiz and Esmeralda... more »

• US military strike off the coast of Venezuela disrupts life in impoverished fishing communities

  September 19, 2025 2:47 PM

  GÜIRIA, Venezuela (AP) — On Venezuela's Paria Peninsula, an idyllic stretch of Caribbean coast, it is an open secret that boats departing from its ports transport both drugs and fish. Residents claim not to know who owns the illegal cargo, but they can tell when business is doing well... more »

• Trump says the US military again targeted a boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela

  September 16, 2025 3:51 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said the U.S. military on Monday again targeted a boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela, killing three aboard the vessel, and hinted that the military targeting of cartels could be further expanded. "The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in... more »

• Long-elusive Mexican drug lord Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada pleads guilty in US

  August 25, 2025 3:50 PM

  NEW YORK (AP) — Former Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada pleaded guilty Monday to U.S. drug trafficking charges, saying he was sorry for helping flood the U.S. with cocaine, heroin and other illicit substances and for fueling deadly violence in Mexico. "I recognize the great harm illegal... more »

• Mexico says there's no agreement with DEA for new border enforcement collaboration

  August 19, 2025 3:41 PM

  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum denied her administration had an agreement with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Tuesday, a day after the U.S. agency announced "a major new initiative" to collaborate in the fight against drug cartels. Sheinbaum was referring to "Project Portero," an effort announced... more »

• Julio César Chávez Jr. deported to Mexico for alleged cartel ties and drug trafficking

  August 19, 2025 3:40 PM

  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. has been deported to Mexico, where he's wanted for alleged cartel ties, following his arrest in the U.S. for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application. Chávez was handed over by authorities and admitted to a prison... more »

• San Benito man arrested for attempting to smuggle narcotics into the country Play Video

  August 16, 2025 1:21 PM

  U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Los Indios International Bridget in Brownsville were able to intercept a load of alleged cocaine hidden inside a 2011 Honda, according to a news release. The news release said the narcotics were valued at $572,235. The seizure took place on... more »

• Mexico says 26 capos sent to US were requested by Trump administration, not part of tariff talks

  August 13, 2025 5:31 PM

  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico sent 26 alleged cartel figures to face justice in the United States because the Trump administration requested them and Mexico did not want them to continue running their illicit businesses from Mexican prisons, officials said Wednesday. The mass transfer was not, however, part of... more »

• Former Progreso mayor sentenced to nearly 4 years for smuggling cocaine Play Video

  July 24, 2025 10:21 AM

  Former Progreso Mayor Gerardo Alanis was sentenced Thursday to 46 months in prison in connection to a federal drug trafficking charge. Following his prison term, Alanis will serve three years of supervised release and pay a $15,000 fine. RELATED STORY: Former Progreso mayor pleads guilty to federal drug... more »

• McAllen man sentenced after admitting to sending over 220 pounds of coke by mail 'a day'

  July 16, 2025 12:20 PM

  A McAllen man was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in federal prison after admitting to mailing out hundreds of pounds of cocaine in the mail, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Texas. Narciso Dominguez III pleaded guilty to federal drug charges on March 27, and his... more »

• More than $2.4 million worth of methamphetamine seized at Pharr port of entry Play Video

  June 12, 2025 11:44 AM

  The Texas Department of Public Safety seized more than 2,000 pounds of methamphetamine during a commercial vehicle inspection at the Pharr port of entry, according to a news release. The news release said 28-year-old Luis Fernando Sarinana Matias, of Reynosa, Mexico, was arrested and charged with possession of a... more »

• Undocumented Mexican national sentenced for smuggling nearly $3 million in narcotics in Pharr Play Video

  June 6, 2025 1:17 PM

  An undocumented Mexican national was sentenced for his role in possessing with intent to distribute nearly $3 million in methamphetamine that was concealed inside cabbages, according to a news release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to the news release, the sentencing comes after an investigation conducted by... more »

• U.S. Border Patrol agents disrupt a narcotic smuggling operation near Harlingen

  May 29, 2025 3:46 PM

  U.S. Border Patrol agents were able to disrupt a narcotics smuggling operation in Las Rusias, near Harlingen, according to a news release. The news release said on Tuesday, at around 5:20 p.m., agents were conducting surveillance when they spotted suspicious activity along the Rio Grande. Agents reported seeing... more »

• Former Valley Police Officer Sentenced to 14 Years for Assisting Drug Traffickers Play Video

  August 12, 2019 12:53 PM

  RIO GRANDE CITY – A former Rio Grande Valley police officer is sentenced to serve 14 years in prison for assisting drug traffickers. Ramon De La Cruz is a former Rio Grande City police officer; witnesses testified he would escort drugs while on duty. The six year investigation... more »

• Edinburg Man Sentenced for Role in Drug-Trafficking Ring Play Video

  September 7, 2018 6:40 PM

  EDINBURG – A major drug runner from Edinburg was sentenced Friday to nearly 12 years in jail. Authorities say Jose Luis Chavez was part of a drug trafficking organization helping move cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine and heroin to Mississippi. He was arrested in Texas and taken out of state for prosecution.... more »