Southeast
Small town police on front lines of cartels' drug war costing Americans their lives
A small city in Alabama has become a “hot spot” for drugs, and police are determined to take back their community.
“These men and women, the vast majority of them grew up there,” Lou Valoze, a retired agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), told Fox News Digital.
“These are residents who are fighting this war to protect their community, the community that they live in, that their kids are growing up in, that their friends are in,” Valoze shared. “This is very personal to them. What they’re doing is probably the most dangerous and difficult aspect of law enforcement, which is undercover work, because it is the most effective tool in combating illegal drugs, illegal guns and human trafficking.”
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Lou Valoze, right, talks with Sgt. Garett Pesnell of the Oxford Police Department. (Courtesy of Investigation Discovery)
Valoze is leading a new series on Investigation Discovery (ID) titled “Operation Undercover.” The show takes viewers “inside real-life discreet operations run by police to keep communities across the country safe.” It features exclusive footage of undercover stings targeting arms dealers, drug suppliers and human traffickers, among others.
The first episode, which premieres Nov. 12, focuses on Oxford, Alabama, a town located right off Highway 20, which runs from Atlanta to Birmingham. The area has been eyed by investigators due to its high activity of fentanyl, an opioid that can be 50 times as powerful as the same amount of heroin. According to the episode, it has become the primary drug of choice for smugglers.
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The Oxford Police Department is preparing to execute a bust and search warrant. (Courtesy of Investigation Discovery)
“It is being produced and made at these super labs… that are mostly in Mexico and being brought over to the border,” Valoze explained. “It’s very cheap to make, and you can make large quantities of it. It is so potent. You only need a little bit for the desired results. They can get it out there, whether it’s pure fentanyl or mixed with other drugs, and make it available everywhere – and make it very cheap.”
The Oxford Police Department seized evidence from a bust and search warrant. (Courtesy of Investigation Discovery)
“You have that combination of availability and affordability – that is why it is spreading the way it’s spreading, and we’re seeing deaths every day, unfortunately,” Valoze added.
Fentanyl and other lab-produced synthetic opioids are driving an overdose crisis deadlier than any the U.S. has ever seen. In 2021, overdoses from all drugs claimed more than 100,000 lives for the first time, and the deaths in 2022 remained at nearly the same level — more than gun and auto deaths combined.
Lou Valoze initially pursued a banking career. However, his encounter with an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent inspired him to join the Department of Justice, leading to a 25-year tenure as an undercover agent. (Courtesy of Investigation Discovery)
The federal government counted more accidental overdose deaths in 2021 alone than it did in the 20-year period from 1979 through 1998. Overdoses in recent years have been many times more frequent than they were during the black tar heroin epidemic that led former President Richard Nixon to launch his “War on Drugs” or during the cocaine crisis in the 1980s.
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A photo of Makayla Cox, who died of a fentanyl overdose at age 16, is displayed among other portraits on “The Faces of Fentanyl” wall, which displays photos of Americans who died from a fentanyl overdose, at the Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, on July 13, 2022. (AGNES BUN/AFP via Getty Images)
Experts believe deaths surged not only because the drugs are so powerful, but also because fentanyl is laced into so many other illicit drugs.
Still, advocates have warned that some of the alarms being sounded by politicians and officials are wrong and potentially dangerous.
Lou Valoze praised the Oxford Police Department for their “impressive” efforts in combating drugs in their town. (Courtesy of Investigation Discovery)
Among those ideas include that tightening control of the U.S.-Mexico border would stop the flow of drugs, though experts say the key to reining in the crisis is reducing drug demand; that fentanyl might turn up in kids’ trick-or-treat baskets on Halloween; and that merely touching the drug briefly can be fatal — something that researchers found untrue.
Lou Valoze talks with members of the Oxford Police Department. With a 25-year career as an undercover agent, Valoze has faced the Chicago mob, outlaw biker gangs and domestic terrorists. (Courtesy of Investigation Discovery)
Advocates have expressed concern that this information could cause first responders to hesitate about giving lifesaving treatment.
The premiere episode of “Operation Undercover” details the connection between Mexico and Oxford specifically.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has warned that fentanyl is being sold in multicolored pills and powders — sometimes referred to as “rainbow fentanyl” — marketed on social media to teens and young adults. (Courtesy of Investigation Discovery)
“It’s the same connection as in almost every small town in the country,” said Valoze. “The cartels are very businesslike. They run their organizations the same way a Fortune 500 company runs their organizations. They have major distribution points in the southeast.”
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A 2022 report from a bipartisan federal commission found that fentanyl and similar drugs are being made mostly in labs in Mexico from chemicals shipped primarily from China. (Courtesy of Investigation Discovery)
“Atlanta is a major distributing point,” he shared. “Obviously, Miami is a major distribution point. And what they do is they create territories for their distribution. It goes down like any business.”
Valoze said drug dealers are likely to develop “territories” in cities connected to major highways for quicker accessibility. Oxford, he noted, is “pretty much right in the middle” of Highway 20.
According to “Operation Undercover,” drug dealers have eyed Oxford, Alabama, due to its accessibility to Highway 20. (Courtesy of Investigation Discovery)
“The police are doing everything they can through highway interdiction, but it’s not enough,” he said. “[But] the Oxford Police Department has become proactive. A lot of the drug activity and a lot of the… sex trafficking is happening at… the hotels that are right off the highway.
Oxford Police Department and Lou Valoze at the scene of a bust and search warrant. (Courtesy of Investigation Discovery)
“They are proactively going out there using informants, using undercover officers to combat this problem, and they’re having amazing results.”
During filming, Valoze said he was impressed with how the Oxford Police Department had been successfully conducting its investigations.
Lou Valoze, left, talks with Sgt. Garett Pesnell of the Oxford Police Department. (Courtesy of Investigation Discovery)
“I’m coming from a federal background where we have a lot of resources,” he said. “A lot of times when you go to a smaller city, they don’t have the same resources… but they were conducting themselves the same way that we as feds conduct ourselves.
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Across the country, fentanyl is being laced into drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine, sometimes with deadly results. In some cases, it is mixed in Mexico or the U.S. with other substances and pressed into pills meant to look like other drugs. (Courtesy of Investigation Discovery)
“… They do their homework through intelligence gathering and surveillance. They knew exactly who they were going against, and they were working with other departments in that area, task forces. By the time they send an agent or an undercover officer into a dangerous situation to make a deal, the deck is stacked in their favor.”
Police in small U.S. communities are combating deadly drugs shipped over the border. (Courtesy of Investigation Discovery)
“They spent their weeks surveilling these people… knowing where they sleep, knowing what their habits were, knowing what they do,” Valoze continued. “That makes it as safe as possible to do an undercover deal when you have all that intelligence… And then on the backside of it, when it was time to take these people down, their preparation was just phenomenal. Their SWAT teams, the intelligence and the surveillance they did before they executed these warrants was so impressive to me.”
A misconception the public has about undercover investigations, Valoze stressed, is that it is “unfair to one side.”
Lou Valoze, center, meets with Capt. Josh Miller and Sgt. Brad Young, left, of the Oxford Police Department. (Courtesy of Investigation Discovery)
“The reality of the situation is that people are dying,” he said. “Whether it is a fentanyl overdose, a heroin overdose, gun violence, or human slavery through human trafficking and sex trafficking, people are getting hurt… The purpose of these undercover investigations is to save lives and make the community safer.”
Lou Valoze, left, meets with Capt. Josh Miller of the Oxford Police Department. (Courtesy of Investigation Discovery)
“There’s no fame or fortune involved in this,” Valoze reflected. “There are not a lot of accolades. These are undercover officers, men and women, doing all of this to make the community safer.
“I think when you watch ‘Operation Undercover,’ you’re going to appreciate what they do and why they do it. You’ll get a true understanding of why these undercover operations are essential to keep communities safe.”
“Operation Undercover” premieres Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 10 p.m. with new episodes airing weekly. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The wife of a Georgia high school teacher who died after what authorities described as a late-night senior prank gone wrong has asked for all charges to be dropped against the students involved.
Five North Hall High students were arrested after going to math teacher Jason Hughes’ Gainesville home armed with toilet paper to carry out a long-standing prank tradition. Hughes, 40, was the intended target Thursday night.
As the group tried to leave in two separate vehicles, Hughes was walking toward the street when he tripped and fell into the slippery roadway, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said. He was then run over by a car driven by 18-year-old Jayden Ryan Wallace.
Rather than an angry confrontation, the father of two was “excited and waiting to catch them in the act,” his wife, Laura, told The New York Times.
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Jason and Laura Hughes were both teachers at North Hall High School. (Facebook/ Laura Palmer Hughes)
“This is a terrible tragedy, and our family is determined to prevent a separate tragedy from occurring, ruining the lives of these students,” Hughes said. “This would be counter to Jason’s lifelong dedication of investing in the lives of these children.”
The Hugheses were both teachers at the public school and devoted their lives to teaching. According to the New York Post, the prank had evolved into an ongoing battle where students lost “points” if the teacher caught them in the act.
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Jayden Ryan Wallace, 18, was arrested on Saturday, March 7, 2026, and charged with first-degree vehicular homicide and reckless driving, along with misdemeanor charges of criminal trespass and littering on private property. (Hall County Sheriff’s Office)
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Wallace and the other teens stopped and attempted to help Hughes while waiting for first responders. The teacher later died from his injuries.
Wallace faces felony charges of first-degree vehicular homicide and reckless driving, along with misdemeanor charges of criminal trespass and littering on private property. The other 18-year-olds, identified by police as Elijah Tate Owens, Aiden Hucks, Ana Katherine Luque and Ariana Cruz, were also arrested at the scene and charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass and littering on private property.
Jail records show that Wallace was arrested on Saturday and has a total bond of $1,950. All five students have since been released on bond, court records show. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office for comment on Laura Hughes’ statements.
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According to the Hall County School District, Hughes was a teacher at North Hall High School. He was listed as a math teacher on the school’s website. The school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes posted on its Facebook that Hughes was also a golf coach at the school. (Facebook/ Laura Palmer Hughes)
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Along with being a math teacher at the high school, the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes posted on its Facebook that Hughes was also a golf coach at the school.
In a statement to FOX 5, the school said: “Our hearts are broken. Jason Hughes was a loving husband, a devoted father; a passionate teacher, mentor, and coach who was loved and respected by students and colleagues. He gave so much to so many in numerous ways. Our hearts and prayers go out to his wife and family. We ask that the media and the public respect their privacy as they grieve.”
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In a GoFundMe, a family friend asked for funds to help with future planning for his two children.
“Jason’s life was a blessing to so many, and his untimely passing will be indescribably difficult for his wife and two young boys for years to come,” the fundraiser said.
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Southeast
Virginia Dems send Spanberger bill that could let some repeat offenders out without secured bond, expert warns
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A top national figure in the bail industry warned of the dangers behind a Virginia bill heading to Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk that would remove bond requirements for previously convicted felons.
Virginia state Del. Katrina Callsen, D-Charlottesville, drafted HB 357, which critics say makes it easier for criminals to get out of jail on an unsecured bond. The bill passed both chambers in Richmond along party lines.
In comments to Fox News Digital on Monday, National Association of Bail Agents President Michelle Esquenazi said she was familiar with the Virginia legislation and that it will only serve to erode public safety.
“We believe any time recidivist offenders are released due to unsecured bail policies, it puts communities in direct danger,” Esquenazi said. “Many are unaware of how secured bonds insulate public safety throughout the United States of America.”
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Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger arrives at a canvass launch event in Lake Ridge, Virginia, on Nov. 2, 2025. The image also shows an empty jail cell in a composite photo. (Win McNamee/Getty Images; Michael Matthey/picture alliance via Getty Images)
“This bill is in direct contrast to the needs of all communities in Virginia, whether they are Republican, Democrat, or Independent.”
Esquenazi said criminals don’t choose victims based on political ideology and that policymakers have failed to understand that bringing criminals to justice should be nonpartisan.
While Callsen did not respond to requests for comment, similar legislation in recent years has often come about as a wish for offenders to receive “second chances” — a dynamic Fox News Digital asked Esquenazi about.
“The secured bail industry is an industry of second chances,” she said.
“However, if you’re going to continue to commit crime, policymakers have to understand and take into account that committing crime is not a mandate. It’s a career choice.”
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The Virginia Capitol in Richmond, Va., is shown on March 4, 2010. Virginia lawmakers handled hundreds of bills on Feb. 13, 2024, as a key legislative deadline neared. (Steve Helber/AP)
Policies like HB 357 serve to give recidivists more than just second but third and subsequent chances because a second chance is “only a title,” which the policies themselves far exceed, she said.
Justice Forward Virginia, a progressive criminal justice reform group focused on advancing related legislation, listed the bill in its section of 2026 priorities. The group did not respond to a request for comment.
Callsen’s bill removes language from Code of Virginia § 19.2-123 governing “Release of accused on unsecured bail or promise to appear” that currently states any person arrested for a felony or who is on bond for an unrelated arrest or on parole may only be released upon securing a secured bond.
Instead, it retains only language providing preestablished conditions of release for that offender.
Other critics took to X, including Club For Growth’s Andrew Follett, who posted a passage from Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn about a civilian being punished more for being caught with a concealed knife than a felon for whom it would be “mere misbehavior; tradition” — and commented that “Democrats have a crush on criminals — it isn’t more complicated than that.”
“Under leftist ideology, society is responsible for crime, not individuals,” Follett said.
“Or, [Virginia House] Speaker Don Scott is preparing for his next arrest,” quipped another X user.
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Scott, D-Portsmouth, served more than 7 years of a 10-year 1994 sentence for federal crack cocaine-related charges — and was one of thousands of convicts who had their rights to vote and serve in office restored by GOP Gov. Robert F. McDonnell in 2013.
After former President Biden pardoned him in 2025, Scott said that his “journey from being arrested as a law student to standing here today as the first Black Speaker of the House of Delegates in Virginia’s 405-year history is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and transformative power of second chances,” according to Hampton Roads’ ABC affiliate.
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Southeast
‘90 Day Fiancé’ alum’s boyfriend on trial for attempted murder over wild ‘Boca Bash’ accusations
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The boyfriend of a reality TV star who appeared on “90 Day Fiancé” faces trial this week on charges he tried to murder her while they were boating in South Florida.
Cole Goldberg was initially charged with domestic battery by strangulation. The charge was upgraded more than a year after the incident to attempted second-degree murder, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators said Goldberg and Caroline Schwitzky, 32, got into a heated argument while the two were attending the annual boat party event, “Boca Bash” on April 24, 2022. At the time, the couple had been dating for about a year.
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Cole Goldberg, the boyfriend of “90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?” star, Caroline Schwitzky, is accused of trying to strangle and drown her in Florida. (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office)
When Schwitzky attempted to escape the vessel, Cole “was grabbing her very aggressively” to keep her on the boat, according to a police report obtained by Law&Crime.
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Caroline Schwitzky, 32, was attacked by her boyfriend while on a boat in Florida, authorities said. She was also arrested for a warrant from another county, according to jail records. (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office)
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Schwitzky, the CEO of Miami talent agency Urge and a mom of three, allegedly punched Goldberg’s arms to free herself during the struggle, which lasted roughly 20 minutes. She jumped into the water to swim to a nearby boat, a witness told authorities.
Goldberg went after her and allegedly tried to drown her. A bystander named Matt Paris jumped in and intervened.
Boca Bash on Lake Boca Raton on April 27, 2025, in Boca Raton, Florida. Hundreds of party-goers floated on the lakes in boats, kayaks and paddle boards. (Greg Lovett/Imagn)
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Schwitzky appeared on “90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?” in 2016 as talent agent to Paola Mayfield.
According to CourtTV, prosecutors offered Goldberg a plea agreement that would have required him to serve six months in jail and three years of probation, as well as write a 500-word letter of apology. He turned down the offer, saying he would not accept a plea to a felony.
Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
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