ONDCP Awards Ceremony Recognizes Successful Efforts of National High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) commended individuals and efforts of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program at the 2026 National HIDTA Awards Ceremony. These award recipients have worked tirelessly to protect our national security and defend communities across the nation from the threat of illicit drugs.

The HIDTA program is an ONDCP-sponsored counter-drug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives. The HIDTA Program plays a key role in disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations and provides assistance to federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug trafficking regions across all 50 states. Last year, the 33 HIDTAs seized 1,885,908 kg of illicit drugs and 71 million illicit pills, denying drug traffickers $21.6 billion in illicit profits. For every dollar invested in the HIDTA Program, the American people get $82.78 in benefits, making HIDTA an effective and efficient use of taxpayers’ money, and an important tool in the nation’s effort to stop drug traffickers and save American lives.

The following awards were presented April 2 to HIDTA members for their critical work in combatting the dangerous drugs across the country:

INVESTIGATIVE COLLABORATION

Northwest HIDTA, Seattle HIDTA Homeland Security Task Force

The Seattle HIDTA Homeland Security Task Force (HHSTF) is recognized with the 2026 Investigative Collaboration Award for demonstrating the sheer scale of force projection possible under the HIDTA model. Adhering to the ethos “mission first, the team always,” this initiative used HIDTA resources to coordinate more than 670 officers from 34 Federal, state, local, and tribal agencies. By unifying diverse authorities under a single strategic umbrella, the task force dismantled an East African gang network linked to the Sinaloa Cartel and targeted the violent Tren de Aragua gang. With 146 arrests and the seizure of 900,000 fentanyl pills, this operation underscores the HIDTA Program’s vital role in synchronizing Federal power with local intelligence to disrupt transnational threats.

PROSECUTION

San Diego/Imperial Valley HIDTA, Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Mellor

Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Mellor is the recipient of the 2026 Outstanding Prosecution Award for establishing a new legal paradigm in the fight against cartels. Leveraging the evidence gathered by HIDTA task forces, AUSA Mellor secured the Nation’s first indictments charging Sinaloa Cartel leaders with “Narcoterrorism” under the Administration’s designation of the Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. His work targets the financial and operational leadership of the world’s most dangerous fentanyl networks, demonstrating how the HIDTA Program strengthens the entire justice pipeline—from investigation to indictment—to hold transnational criminal organizations fully accountable.

PUBLIC HEALTH/PUBLIC SAFETY COLLABORATION

Puerto Rico-U.S. Virgin Islands HIDTA, U.S. Virgin Islands Prevention Initiative

The 2026 Public Health/Public Safety Collaboration Award recognizes the U.S. Virgin Islands Prevention Initiative for effectively operationalizing the HIDTA prevention mandate. Recognizing that enforcement alone cannot solve the drug crisis, Drug Intelligence Officer Rodney F. Querrard and Public Health Analyst Amulen Wirsiy built a coalition of educators and law enforcement to mentor over 5,300 students. Their curriculum was so effective that it was adopted territory-wide. The initiative further supported overdose reversal training for first responders and safe disposal points for unused medications. This initiative stands as a prime example of how HIDTAs serve as community incubators, fostering long-term demand reduction strategies that protect the next generation.

INVESTIGATION INVOLVING A VIOLENT ORGANIZATION

Gulf Coast HIDTA, Gulf Coast HIDTA Jefferson County Drug Task Force

The Jefferson County Drug Task Force is honored with the 2026 Award for Investigation Involving a Violent Organization, showcasing how HIDTA initiatives protect communities from the most dangerous elements of the drug trade. Targeting a violent Bloods street gang set responsible for over 40 shootings and 27 homicides in Birmingham, Alabama, the task force leveraged HIDTA’s advanced technological resources to execute Title-III wiretaps. This capability allowed investigators to intercept murder-for-hire plots and protect the lives of detectives. Their work is now poised to secure Federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization/Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering indictments, demonstrating the HIDTA Program’s effectiveness in neutralizing violent criminal enterprises that threaten public safety.

HIDTA SUPPORT

Midwest HIDTA, Kelsey Kulesa, Financial Manager

The 2026 HIDTA Support Award recognizes Kelsey Kulesa for exemplary stewardship of the Federal resources that power the HIDTA mission. As Financial Manager for the Midwest HIDTA, Ms. Kulesa manages a complex $16.2 million budget across six states. Crucially, she coordinates financial operations for 15 fiduciaries. Going beyond standard compliance, she implemented systemic efficiencies that reduced unspent Federal funds returned to the Treasury by 66 percent. Her stewardship ensures that ONDCP appropriations are maximized for operational impact, delivering a higher return on investment for the taxpayer and strengthening the sustainability of the HIDTA Program in the Midwest region.

INVESTIGATION INVOLVING INNOVATIVE APPROACHES

Ohio HIDTA, DEA Cincinnati Drug Task Force, Heroin Enforcement Group (HEG)

The 2026 Award for Investigation Involving Innovative Approaches honors the Ohio HIDTA’s Heroin Enforcement Group (HEG)—a Homeland Security Task Force affiliated initiative—for leveraging advanced technology to overcome modern trafficking tactics. Faced with a target using encrypted apps and rental fleets to evade detection, the team used HIDTA technical support to obtain a novel court order for audio/video interception inside a rental vehicle. This “livestream” access led directly to the destruction of two fentanyl laboratories. This case serves as a model for how HIDTA initiatives drive technical innovation to stay ahead of sophisticated criminal organizations.

INTELLIGENCE AND INFORMATION SHARING

Appalachia HIDTA, Investigative Support Center

The 2026 Intelligence and Information Sharing Award is presented to the Appalachia HIDTA Investigative Support Center (ISC) for fulfilling the program’s statutory mandate to enhance national intelligence sharing. Recognizing a critical vulnerability in how drug pricing data was tracked, the ISC utilized HIDTA innovation funding to build and launch the National Drug Price Portal (NDPP). This web-based system now connects the entire national HIDTA network, allowing partners to share real-time, standardized pricing intelligence. By transforming isolated regional data into a strategic national asset, the ISC has significantly strengthened the intelligence infrastructure that underpins drug enforcement operations across the United States.

INTERDICTION

New York/New Jersey HIDTA, New Jersey Drug Trafficking Organization Task Force

The New Jersey Drug Trafficking Organization Task Force is recognized with the 2026 Interdiction Award for proactive policing that exemplifies the “shield” capability of the HIDTA Program. By infiltrating a Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) distribution network with a confidential source and an undercover officer, the task force orchestrated a controlled delivery from the Southwest Border to the Northeast. This operation, which seized 100 kilograms of cocaine and arrested high-level traffickers, illustrates the HIDTA Program’s unique ability to coordinate complex, multi-jurisdictional interdictions that stop narcotics before they can reach local communities.

COMMUNITY IMPACT INVESTIGATION

Northern California HIDTA, San Francisco Metro Task Force

The San Francisco Metro Task Force is presented with the 2026 Community Impact Investigation Award for applying the HIDTA model to restore the rule of law in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District. Responding to open-air fentanyl markets that had overwhelmed local resources, the task force launched “Operation All-Hands-On-Deck,” a Homeland Security Task Force-designated investigation. By integrating Federal surveillance assets with local enforcement squads, the team executed more than 30 operations resulting in 322 arrests and the seizure of 147 pounds of fentanyl. Community members have testified that they will now walk their children to school, venture outside to visit family members, and go to local grocery markets. The enforcement efforts have resulted in community organizations taking back their residential streets. This investigation highlights the agility of the HIDTA Program to surge resources to high-threat areas, tangibly improving the quality of life for residents.

OVERDOSE REDUCTION

New England HIDTA, Connecticut Overdose Response Strategy Team

Within the New England HIDTA, Public Health Analyst Anna Gasinski and Drug Intelligence Officer Robert Lawlor make up the Connecticut Overdose Response Strategy team (ORS team). The ORS team is the recipient of the 2026 Award for Overdose Reduction, exemplifying the HIDTA Program’s unique ability to bridge the gap between public health and public safety. By leveraging the New England HIDTA’s interagency framework, the team broke down historical data silos to make Connecticut the nation’s first fully Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP)-integrated state. This initiative transformed fragmented data into a unified, statewide operating picture, allowing law enforcement to target trafficking networks with surgical precision while enabling health partners to deploy life-saving resources. Their efforts contributed to a 26.1 percent decline in overdose deaths in 2024, offering a powerful proof-of-concept for the HIDTA model’s capacity to drive demand reduction alongside interdiction.

INVESTIGATION

New Mexico HIDTA, DEA Albuquerque Task Force Initiative

The 2026 Investigation Award is presented to the DEA Albuquerque Task Force Initiative for a landmark operation that validated the HIDTA strategy of targeting the highest levels of the supply chain. Integrating agents from six DEA offices, tribal police, and local partners, the task force utilized HIDTA deconfliction and coordination support to track the Salazar Drug Trafficking Organization across five states. The investigation culminated in the largest fentanyl seizure in DEA history—3.5 million pills—and the seizure of $5.4 million in currency. This success demonstrates how the HIDTA network enables law enforcement to dismantle the command-and-control structures of cartels operating on U.S. soil.

INVESTIGATION INVOLVING ILLICIT FINANCE

South Texas HIDTA, San Antonio DEA HIDTA Task Force

The San Antonio DEA HIDTA task force initiated a methamphetamine importation investigation that soon evolved into an operation targeting a massive international drug cartel financial scheme. Collaborating as part of the Homeland Security Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and Department of the Treasury/Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the task force determined that Mexican drug cartels were quickly expanding their illegal activities and amassing billions of dollars of illicit funds through the smuggling of oil and gas. This investigation severely disrupted the targeted cartel’s crude oil operations, was a catalyst for changes within the U.S. financial institutions. This operation led to the sanction of more than 40 cartel subjects and business, and was the first case to charge U.S. citizens with material support of a foreign terrorist organization tied to the newly designated drug cartels.

TASK FORCE OF THE YEAR

Indiana HIDTA, ATF ACHILLES

The Indiana HIDTA ATF-ACHILLES Initiative & the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force conducted a major multi-jurisdictional investigation targeting the violent “Icy Waters” drug-trafficking organization. Through coordinated controlled purchases, interdictions, search warrants, and high-risk enforcement operations, investigators dismantled a criminal enterprise responsible for at least three homicides and significant cartel-linked drug pipelines. The operation resulted in the seizure of 91 firearms, 177 machinegun conversion devices, substantial quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana, more than $151,000 in currency, 10 vehicles, and led to Federal charges against 20 defendants—with as many as 50 expected—as well as 55 state arrests.

HIDTA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

Arizona HIDTA, Phoenix El Dorado Financial Task Force Operation Envios Erroneos (OEE) is a Homeland Security Task Force investigation targeting the financial infrastructure of drug cartels. The exploitation of Money Service Businesses (MSBs) by criminals has long been a concern for law enforcement, as these entities are often used to facilitate illicit activities. Law enforcement data indicate bulk-cash currency seizures in Phoenix have dropped by approximately 70 percent since 2021, due in part to DTOs employing MSB agents as willing participants in money laundering schemes, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars flowing illicitly through MSBs nationwide. To combat this, Phoenix El Dorado Task Force (EDTF) has implemented a groundbreaking investigative methodology centered on data analysis, which significantly enhances efficiency by reducing investigative time compared to traditional methods. Supported by Title 31 USC 5324 (Structuring) and similar state charges, EDTF has collaborated with federal, state, and local authorities to execute over 50 search warrants on MSBs, leading to the seizure of millions of dollars, arrests, indictments, and the dismantlement of major money laundering organizations.

HIDTA OF THE YEAR

Houston HIDTA

The Houston HIDTA has established itself as a vanguard, leading the effort to coordinate law enforcement not just in its region but across the Nation. Embodying an unusual capacity to anticipate trends, the Houston HIDTA Director and Executive Board have led through action. Their approach is often subtle: quietly developing solutions to problems that others are still struggling to define. The HIDTA is known for its pioneering of enterprise approaches that serve the entire HIDTA Program. These efforts span a wide spectrum—from managing an automated license plate reader platform that brings together all levels of law enforcement, to piloting an anti-human trafficking initiative encompassing more than a third of the HIDTA Program. The Houston HIDTA’s influence on drug enforcement efforts has bolstered the reputation of the entire National HIDTA Program.

In 2025, Houston HIDTA initiatives dismantled or disrupted 138 DTOs/MLOs, of which 66 were international in scope and 10 percent were OCDETF-designated, HSTF-designated, or linked to consolidated or regional priority organization targets. The HIDTA preserved officer safety through 23,617 event deconflictions; they contributed to the safety of surrounding communities through the seizure of 675 firearms, also acquiring 13,514 pieces of evidence for NIBIN and identifying 3,319 NIBIN correlations/leads. Houston HIDTA task forces are responsible for seizing over $1 billion in illegal drugs in 2025, as well as $26 million in cash and other assets, for a return on investment of $89.80. Among the drugs seized were 25 metric tons of cocaine, 12,534 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 120 kilograms of fentanyl.