Two Kansas men are facing federal charges in connection with drug trafficking following search warrants executed earlier this week, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas.
Thomas Lewis Williams, 64, of Haysville, has been charged with one count of possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. On August 6, 2025, law enforcement conducted a federal search warrant at Williams’ residence on South Meridian Avenue in Haysville. Officers reported finding firearms, U.S. currency, items used for converting methamphetamine, and suspected methamphetamine and fentanyl pills.
Oswaldo Gutierrez-Rodriguez, 29, of Wichita, faces one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Authorities say that during a search at a commercial building on North Mascot Avenue in Wichita on August 6, officers found acetone containers, ventilation fans, a propane tank connected to a hot plate, and other paraphernalia believed to be used for converting methamphetamine. A white crystal or powder substance that tested positive for methamphetamine was also located.
Both Williams and Gutierrez-Rodriguez are scheduled to make their initial court appearances on August 11, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gwynne E. Birzer in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.
The investigation is being led by the Wichita Police Department, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and IRS Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Debra Barnett and Kari Burks are prosecuting the case.
According to the press release: “This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Kansas City Regional Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline). HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reminds that “A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
