Two Kansas men have been charged in separate cases with crimes related to drug trafficking after search warrants were executed earlier this week.
Thomas Lewis Williams, 64, of Haysville faces one count of possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. According to court documents, on August 6, 2025, federal authorities searched Williams’ residence on South Meridian Avenue in Haysville. Officers found firearms, U.S. currency, items used for converting methamphetamine, and suspected methamphetamine and fentanyl pills.
Oswaldo Gutierrez-Rodriguez, 29, of Wichita has been charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Court records state that law enforcement searched a commercial building on North Mascot Avenue in Wichita on the same day. During the search, officers discovered acetone containers, ventilation fans, a propane tank connected to a hot plate, and other paraphernalia commonly used for converting methamphetamine. They also found a white crystal or powder substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.
Both Williams and Gutierrez-Rodriguez are scheduled to make their initial court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gwynne E. Birzer of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas on August 11, 2025.
The investigation is being conducted by several agencies: 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 these cases.
According to information provided by the Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America initiative (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), these cases were investigated and prosecuted by the Kansas City Regional Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF). The task forces were established under Executive Order 14159 as joint operations led by both the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is described as an effort that coordinates resources from multiple federal programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) to combat illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations.
“A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
