Suspected drug dealer, deported last year, charged in Kansas

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - An accused drug dealer who was deported last year is once again facing drug charges after illegally returning to the U.S.

The Wichita Eagle reports that 28-year-old Raul Valenzuela-Arce was charged Thursday in U.S. District Court in Topeka. He is accused of distributing methamphetamine.

An affidavit from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation says Valenzuela-Arce was arrested in March 2019 in Topeka on state drug and gun charges. The affidavit says Valenzuela-Arce agreed while jailed to become a KBI informant. In return, charges against him would be dismissed.

But instead of helping police, Valenzuela-Arce allegedly returned to committing drug crimes. Court filings show he was deported to Mexico in November.

Investigators said they found out that Valenzuela-Arce was back in Topeka on July 22, and he was arrested again.