DEA Delivers Major Blows to Drug Cartels, Advancing a Fentanyl Free America in 2026

 

Marking a powerful start to 2026, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration dealt a significant blow to drug trafficking networks during Phase II of Operation Fentanyl Free America. Between January 12 and February 10, 2026, DEA seized more than 4.7 million fentanyl pills and nearly 2,396 pounds of fentanyl powder resulting in more than 57 million deadly doses of fentanyl removed from communities in just thirty-days. 

Eliminating the threat of fentanyl remains a top priority for DEA.  By dismantling these complex transnational criminal organizations and disrupting the intricate illicit financial systems that fund the cartels, DEA is upholding its commitment to the American people to make their communities safer. 

“Families across America are losing loved ones to the fentanyl being pushed by drug cartels that care only about making a profit. The DEA is attacking this threat with unwavering determination to protect our communities,” said DEA New Jersey Field Division Special Agent in Charge Towanda R. Thorne-James. “Phase II of this operation saw the men and women of DEA in New Jersey seize more than 46,000 fentanyl pills, 18 guns, almost $250,000.00 in drug money, and make 37 arrests. We will continue to work to stop this threat and make saving lives our top priority.”

Synthetic drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine are manufactured on an industrial scale in poly-drug clandestine labs, often using precursor chemicals and pill presses. Transnational criminal organizations often deal in multiple substances, which is reflected in the results of this surge. During this thirty-day operation, DEA also seized 147,797 pounds of cocaine, nearly 21,000 pounds of methamphetamine, more than 26 million methamphetamine pills, 1,183 pounds of heroin, 65,000 pounds of illicit marijuana, more than 1,500 firearms, and led to more than 3,000 arrests nationwide. 

DEA launched the Fentanyl Free America initiative in October 2026 with a renewed focus on targeted enforcement operations on illicit drug networks, ensuring DEA registrants are working within the closed system of distribution, and increasing public awareness to reduce both the supply and demand of illicit drugs. This was the second targeted enforcement operation under the Fentanyl Free America initiative.

	PHASE II RESULTS  January 10 – February 12, 2026	PHASE I RESULTS  October 1 – October 31, 2025
Fentanyl Pills	4,702,781	3,683,763
Fentanyl Powder	2,396 lbs.	1,709 lbs.
Methamphetamine Pills	26,380,988	9,326,147
Methamphetamine Powder	20,944 lbs.	42,620 lbs.
Cocaine	147,797 lbs.	77,846 lbs.
Marijuana	65,142 lbs.	20,619 lbs.
Heroin	1,183 lbs.	446 lbs.
Firearms	1,577	1,155
Arrests	3,080	1,890
Pill Press Machines	29	26
Total Currency	$41,888,922	$55,256,607

Total Assets

$41,445,327

$2,725,826

Significant Fentanyl Free America Phase II Division Results:

• The DEA Louisville Field Division’s Chattanooga Resident Office seized approximately 17 kilograms of fentanyl, two industrial grade pill presses, and two kilo-brick presses in January. This single seizure prevented nearly 9 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl from reaching the American public.

• An enforcement operation in Baltimore resulted in 43 arrests and the seizure of 7 kilograms of cocaine, 2 kilograms of a heroin, fentanyl mixture, 2 kilograms of fentanyl and 1,200 pounds of marijuana, 13 firearms and more than $200,000. 

• An operation in Tucson, AZ resulted in the seizure of nearly 600,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills, preventing nearly 173,000 potential fentanyl poisonings.

• The DEA New York Task Force removed 60,000 fentanyl pills from circulation following the arrest of a cartel-linked distributor.

• Richie Pharmacal, a pharmaceutical distributor in Glasgow, Kentucky, received an Immediate Suspension Order (ISO) at the beginning of February for alleged compliance discrepancies and violations of the Controlled Substances Act.   

DEA is unwavering in its commitment to achieve a Fentanyl Free America.  We encourage every American to join the fight for a safer, secure future where families continue to make memories and communities are protected from the scourge of synthetic opioids.

Visit DEA.gov/fentanylfree and get involved.

Speaker Julie Menin Announces Nathan Toth as NYC Council’s Finance Director

 

Today, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin announced the appointment of Nathan Toth to lead the Council’s Finance Division. A veteran of city government and municipal budgeting, Toth previously served in the Council’s Finance Division for 15 years, most recently as a Deputy Director. He returns to the Council from the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC), where he served as Chief Financial Officer.

“I’m excited to welcome Nathan Toth back to the Council to serve as the Director of our Finance Division, where he will lead budget strategy, negotiations, and planning,” said Speaker Julie Menin. “Nathan has led a distinguished career in public-sector finance, and his deep well of knowledge will be critical for the Council and our members. I look forward to Nathan’s counsel and leadership to protect our city’s fiscal health and stability.”

Prior to DDC, Toth was a Principal at Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, Director of Operations for the School Construction Authority (SCA), Budget Officer at New York University, and Senior Financial Analyst at Reuters America Inc.

“I’m honored to return to the Council, under the leadership of Speaker Menin and Finance Chair Lee, to serve as Finance Director during this critical time for our city,” said Nathan Toth. “Throughout my career in public service, I have sought to responsibly guide and shape budgetary decisions that protect our city’s fiscal health. I look forward to working with our committed public servants in the Council’s Finance Division, Council Members, and all stakeholders to secure the savings and investments that meet the needs of New Yorkers.”

About Nathan Toth:

Nathan Toth is an accomplished public-sector financial executive with nearly three decades of experience leading large-scale budgeting, capital planning, procurement, and fiscal strategy for New York City government. Most recently, he served as Chief Financial Officer of the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC), where he oversaw the Finance and Procurement Division, guiding the financial and contracting framework that supports the City’s most critical public infrastructure projects. Prior to joining DDC, Nathan advised public- and private-sector clients as a Principal at Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, leveraging his extensive knowledge of government budgeting, funding, and the legislative process to help organizations secure resources and advance their strategic priorities. Previously, he spent more than a decade in senior leadership roles within the New York City Council’s Finance Division, where he oversaw budget development and negotiations for major city agencies, managed the Council’s capital discretionary process, and served as a key advisor to Council leadership. Nathan earned his Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Economics and Management Science from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from City University of New York (CUNY)’s Baruch College.

District Court Revokes U.S. Citizenship of Convicted Drug Dealer

 

Today, following a two-day trial in September 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida revoked the naturalization of Melchor Munoz, also known as Melchor Munoz-Correa, a native of Mexico who became a U.S. citizen in September 2009. The court held that, during his naturalization proceedings, Munoz concealed that he had previously engaged in a drug trade leading to his guilty plea in 2012 of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 100 kilograms or more of marijuana.

“This Administration has once again kept its promise to go after the worst of the worst” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate. “The Department of Justice is proud to take citizenship back from a drug dealer who lied to become a U.S. citizen by concealing his criminal past.”

“United States citizenship is a valuable privilege that this individual obtained with lies and deceit about his past criminal activity,” said U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin for the Northern District of Florida. “Today’s judicial action to revoke that fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship reinforces the commonsense position of this Administration that criminal activity will not be tolerated, and dangerous criminal aliens must be held accountable for violating our country’s laws.”

As admitted in his criminal proceedings, Munoz distributed to co-conspirators an average of 80 pounds of marijuana on approximately 60 separate occasions between 2008 and 2010, keeping 400 to 500 pounds of marijuana, gallon zip-lock bags of methamphetamine, and multiple blocks of cocaine on hand most of the time.

The sole issue at trial was whether Munoz’s drug activity predated his naturalization. At his guilty plea hearing in his criminal case and in an April 2013 proffer interview with federal agents, Munoz stated he began trafficking marijuana as early as in late 2008. Munoz argued in his denaturalization case that he was mistaken when he made those statements, and he testified at his denaturalization trial that he began drug trafficking only after his 2009 naturalization.

The court “found his testimony not credible,” and noted that throughout his testimony, “Munoz was evasive and did not answer questions directly.” Ultimately, the court held that “the government has proven by clear, unequivocal, and convincing evidence that Munoz engaged in drug trafficking in 2008, just as he stated under oath at his change-of-plea hearing.”

The court held that Munoz illegally procured his citizenship, and it revoked his certificate of naturalization. The court also ordered Munoz to surrender to the government his certificate of naturalization, any and all U.S. passports, and any other indicia of United States citizenship, and it ordered that he is “forever restrained and enjoined from claiming any rights, privileges, benefits, or advantages under any document which evidences United States citizenship obtained as a result of his September 8, 2009 naturalization.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case.

The Affirmative Litigation Unit of the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation litigated the case with substantial assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.

Attorney General James Sues to Stop Nexstar-Tegna Merger

 

Merger Would Limit Competition in Local TV Markets, Raising Fees for Cable Customers While Hurting Local News

New York Attorney General Letitia James today joined a coalition of seven other attorneys general in suing to stop the merger of Nexstar Media Group (Nexstar) and Tegna, Inc. (Tegna), two of the biggest owners of local television stations in the nation. The proposed merger would create the largest broadcast station group in the country and consolidate ownership of popular local television stations in media markets across the nation, including in Buffalo. Attorney General James and the coalition argue that this merger would be illegal, could raise costs for consumers, and would degrade the quality of local news that tens of millions of Americans rely on. The lawsuit seeks a court order declaring the merger illegal and preventing it from being completed.  

“Competition among local TV stations allows consumers to enjoy a variety of affordable options for quality coverage of news, sports, and more,” said Attorney General James. “This illegal merger threatens local news and could raise fees for consumers by combining hundreds of TV stations under the same owner. I’m suing to stop Nexstar’s illegal merger with Tegna to keep cable bills down and ensure New Yorkers can access the independent local news options they count on.”  

Nexstar is currently the country’s largest local television broadcasting group, controlling more than 200 stations in 116 U.S. markets reaching 220 million people. Tegna owns 64 television stations in 51 different media markets. If the merger is completed, 31 media markets across the country where Nexstar and Tegna each own competing stations would see diminished competition. In New York, the Buffalo media market would be one of those 31 affected markets. These local stations are affiliates of the “Big Four” networks – ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX – which provide critical local news in addition to coverage of sports, prime time events, and more. Nexstar owns dozens of Big Four stations nationwide, including 49 CBS affiliates, 51 FOX affiliates, 35 NBC affiliates, and 33 ABC affiliates. Providers like Comcast, DirecTV, DISH, and Charter typically pay the owner of each local Big Four broadcast station in any given media market a fee to retransmit the station’s content to their subscribers.  

Attorney General James and the coalition argue that Nexstar and Tegna are direct competitors and that a merger of the two would significantly limit competition in local television markets, raising costs for consumers and limiting the quality and diversity of local news. By eliminating competition, the merger would give Nexstar the power to charge cable providers higher fees for its stations’ programming, and those fees would likely be passed on to subscribers. If cable providers refuse to pay the increased fees post-merger, Nexstar would have the power to black out multiple Big Four channels in a given local market, depriving consumers of access to the channels they have come to rely on.  

Attorney General James and the coalition also argue that the merger would severely threaten consumers’ access to high-quality local news. A recent study found that Nexstar is the worst offender of “news duplication,” a practice in which station owners air identical local news content across multiple stations. Nexstar also has an established track record of consolidating newsrooms when it owns more than one station in each media market. These tactics eliminate independent news operations and diminish diversity in news coverage at a time when local news is already under threat. If the merger succeeds, communities would face fewer choices for local news in media markets across the country. 

Attorney General James and the coalition allege that the proposed merger violates the federal Clayton Act by unlawfully limiting competition. The lawsuit seeks a court order declaring the merger illegal and preventing it from being carried out.  

Joining Attorney General James in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, North Carolina, Oregon, and Virginia.  

Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson - JOIN US: Fire Safety & Education Workshops

 

Dear Neighbor, 

In response to the recent fires in our borough, we are continuing our fire safety education workshops in partnership with the FDNY and local community organizations.

These workshops focus on fire prevention, safety tips, and the steps families can take to protect their homes and loved ones. We encourage everyone to participate and to share this vital information with friends, family, and neighbors.

Warm Regards,

Vanessa L. Gibson

Bronx Borough President

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State Senator Gustavo Rivera Introduces Bill To Provide Legislature Greater Oversight of Publicly Subsidized Health Programs

 

Today, Senator Gustavo Rivera (NY-33) introduced the “Oversight of Health Programs Act” (S.9512), a bill that will establish a routine process for the Legislature to request and receive records from private contractors that help operate publicly subsidized health programs. These contractors have cited protections for sensitive information, such as trade secrets, as a reason to withhold information from the Legislature and the Executive.

“My Oversight of Health Programs Act will empower the Legislature to perform our oversight duties and ensure that private contractors running publicly subsidized health programs cannot shield important information under the veil of trade secrets. We cannot allow contractors receiving billions of dollars from the state to operate government programs in obscurity. New Yorkers deserve proper oversight by their elected representatives. I look forward to engaging with my colleagues to pass this common sense proposal,” said State Senator Gustavo Rivera.  

During the tenure of the previous Governor, we saw an explosion in the use of private contractors for state government programs and operations. Since then, billions in tax payer dollars have been spent on them. There are legitimate concerns that these private entities withhold basic operational information from the state and bypass the Legislature’s oversight despite the precedent set by federal protections of such trade secrets. 

Currently, the only formal option the Legislature has to compel testimony from a contractor that declines to provide information in response to a request is through a public hearing or by subpoena, both of which are burdensome processes. The Legislature should reasonably expect the private contractors that are working for the State to participate in regular oversight activities.

This bill will codify enumerated powers that the Legislature already has under the state constitution and in doing so, it will:

•   Establish a definition of “trade secret” modelled after current federal law.

•   Create a process for record requests from vendors providing services in conjunction with the operation and delivery of a public health program.

 

•   Authorize the Temporary President of the Senate, the Speaker of the Assembly, the chairs of either the Senate or Assembly Health Committees, the chair of the Senate committee on Investigations and Government Operations, and the Chair of the Assembly Oversight, Analysis and Investigation committee to request and receive records from either the Commissioner of Health (COH) or a vendor. 

•   Establish clear deadlines for vendors to submit records asked by the requesting party. Failure to comply will trigger further reporting requirements to the requesting party.  

With healthcare being one of our State’s biggest budgetary expenses and with the Legislature being required to approve appropriations for these programs as well as establish laws to govern the operation of various programs, this bill empowers the Legislature to perform their oversight duties and protect New Yorkers from entities that in bad faith, shield access to information, even sensitive information from our State’s duly elected representatives.

NY-11: Statement from Ed Cox on Discontinuance of NY-11 Litigation

 

 

NYGOP Chair Ed Cox released the following statement:

 

“Governor Hochul, Speaker Heastie, and Senate Leader Stewart-Cousins have finally admitted what we all knew: that their effort to racially gerrymander NY-11 was done in reckless disregard for the federal and state constitutions.

 

“In addition, our feckless and legally incompetent Attorney General Letitia James again demonstrated that she is unqualified for her office.

 

“Acting Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Pearlman was clearly conflicted based on his prior representation of Kathy Hochul and other Democrats. He should never have heard this case due to his conflicts. Just as shocking was his flawed legal reasoning, which ignored the Constitution and the state laws over redistricting. Similarly, the Appellate Division First Department made itself a laughingstock in its refusal to stay Pearlman’s decision despite the onset of the electoral season.

 

“If the United States Supreme Court had not issued a Stay, the entire Congressional map of New York State would have been thrown into chaos. The electoral season began February 24^th and candidates across the state could not be certain as to whether the Congressional map might be changed. 

 

“This entire litigation was based on a lie, one that Kathy Hochul, Letitia James and the Democrat legislative leaders were happy to promote. The Staten Island/Brooklyn congressional district has been in place since 1983, and it does not racially discriminate against black and Hispanic voters. Rep. Malliotakis is herself of Cuban/Greek heritage and the first Latina to represent the district. Indeed, the so-called New York Voting Rights Act that Democrats relied upon to bring this case specifically does not apply to Congressional redistricting. The Governor and Attorney General blithely ignored the law in their legal filings.

 

“By moving to discontinue the case, Democrats have finally thrown in the towel. But they owe the people of Staten Island and South Brooklyn an apology for their reckless accusations of racial discrimination and their frivolous use of taxpayer resources in advancing this case."