Two Kansas men are facing federal charges following search warrants executed by law enforcement earlier this week. Thomas Lewis Williams, 64, of Haysville, has been charged with possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. According to court documents, officers searched Williams’ home on South Meridian Avenue in Haysville on August 6, 2025. During the search, they found firearms, U.S. currency, items used for converting methamphetamine, and suspected methamphetamine and fentanyl pills.
Oswaldo Gutierrez-Rodriguez, 29, of Wichita, is charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. On the same day as the other search warrant, law enforcement searched a commercial building on North Mascot Avenue in Wichita. Officers discovered acetone containers, ventilation fans, a propane tank connected to a hot plate, and other paraphernalia commonly used for methamphetamine conversion. They also found a white crystal or powder 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 involves multiple agencies including 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.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), which is coordinated by the Kansas City Regional Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF). The HSTFs were established under Executive Order 14159 during President Trump’s administration as joint operations led by the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America aims to use federal resources to combat illegal immigration and dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime.
A complaint is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
