Worcester Man Sentenced for Multi-Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

November 19, 2021 MASSACHUSETTS – A Worcester man was sentenced yesterday in connection with a fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine trafficking conspiracy. Robert Young, 50, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to five years in prison and three years of supervised release. In October 2018, Young pleaded guilty…

Puerto Rico Man Sentenced to Prison For Trafficking Cocaine to Connecticut

November 19, 2021 CONNECTICUT – Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ROBERTO MUNIZ, 37, of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, was sentenced today via videoconference by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine…

Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Distribution in Magic Valley

November 19, 2021 BOISE – Luis Leyva Verduzco was sentenced to 82 months in federal prison for possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. According to court records, beginning in early 2020, law enforcement received information that Verduzco, 32, a Mexican national living in Jerome, was involved in the distribution of methamphetamine…

Bakersfield Fentanyl Dealer Pleads Guilty

November 18, 2021 FRESNO, Calif. — Uriel Ivan Portillo, 35, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Wade R. Shannon and Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, on Nov. 21, 2019, Portillo distributed 5,000…

5 Wisconsin Men Charged for Drug Trafficking Crimes

November 18, 2021 MADISON, Wisconsin – John G. McGarry, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration – Wisconsin, and Acting U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea of the Western District of Wisconsin announced that a federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments…

Takedown of Drug Trafficking Operation in the Capital Region

November 17, 2021 NEW YORK – DEA New York Division Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan and New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the indictment of 54 members of a drug trafficking ring for their roles in distributing heroin laced with fentanyl, powder and crack cocaine, and methamphetamine to Fulton, Montgomery, Saratoga…

NY Man Charged with Multi-Drug Conspiracy

November 17, 2021 BOSTON – A New York man was charged yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with a drug distribution conspiracy involving heroin, fentanyl and cocaine. Wilkin Cedano, 37, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or…

Kansas City Man Sentenced for Meth Trafficking, Illegal Firearm

November 17, 2021 KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing methamphetamine and a firearm. Michael Allen Dicks, Jr., 32, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Dicks pleaded guilty on Feb. 23…

DEA Multi-Location Arrest Warrant Operation

November 17, 2021 LOS ANGELES —Today, law enforcement investigators served nine arrest warrants in multiple locations throughout Los Angeles and Riverside Counties. In March of 2020, the DEA launched Operation Crystal Shield to focus efforts on main U.S. methamphetamine trafficking transportation hubs. DEA identified eight major methamphetamine transportation hubs where Operation Crystal Shield…

Lake County Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Running Large-Scale Drug Conspiracy

November 17, 2021 OCALA, Fla. –Devonne L. Walker (36, Lady Lake) was sentenced in federal court today to 25 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Walker had pleaded guilty on July 28, 2021. According to evidence presented at the sentencing hearing, Walker was the leader and organizer of a…

Administrator Anne Milgram Remarks on the Overdose Epidemic

November 17, 2021 Thank you and good morning. Thank you to ONDCP and to all the federal partners with whom we have been working on this important issue. This is a critical moment in our country. DEA’s mission is to keep American communities safe and healthy and we are in the midst of…

High Speed Chase Ends with 15 Years in Prison for Illegal Firearms

November 16, 2021 SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An Aurora, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing firearms after leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase from Bolivar, Mo., to Springfield, Mo. Milton W. Sparks, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 15 years in federal…

Grand Jury Indicts 20 in Multi-State Drug Trafficking Ring

November 16, 2021 ST. LOUIS – A federal grand jury indicted Steven Bell, along with 19 other defendants, for charges that include conspiracy to distribute heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine in a large-scale nationwide drug ring. The group transported and distributed illegal narcotics in numerous states to include California, Michigan, Missouri, Kentucky and…

Fort Worth Jury Convicts Whitt Drug Trafficker

November 16, 2021 DALLAS – A longtime drug dealer has been convicted of drug and gun crimes, announced DEA Special Agent in Charge Eduardo A. Chávez. Following a two-day trial, a federal jury convicted Jerome Thomas Watkins, 44, of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin; possession with…

Federal Judge Sentences Methamphetamine Trafficker to More than 17 Years in Prison

November 16, 2021 CHARLOTTE, N.C. – James Kristoffer Cantley, 39, formerly of Newton, N.C., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell to 210 months in prison and five years of supervised release for trafficking methamphetamine, announced William T. Stetzer, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In…

Colombian National Convicted After Attempting to Buy 20 Kilos of Cocaine

November 16, 2021 BOSTON – A Colombian national, recently residing in Revere, was convicted by a federal jury today in connection with attempting to purchase 20 kilograms of cocaine from undercover agents. Jesus Arley Munera-Gomez, 35, was convicted following a week-long trial of one count of attempt to possess with intent to distribute…

Narcotics Trafficker Extradited from Colombia to Face International Cocaine Distribution Charges

November 15, 2021 BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Fabian Emilio Zapata Taborda, also known as “Milo” and “Milito,” was arraigned today before United States District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn on an indictment charging him with leading an international cocaine distribution conspiracy. The defendant, a Colombian citizen, was arrested in…

Georgia Man Arrested For Allegedly Selling Guns and Cocaine to Undercover Officer

November 15, 2021 NEW YORK — A three-month investigation disrupted a Georgia-to-New York gun trafficking pipeline and resulted in the seizure of 25 guns, including five assault weapons. The guns and a quantity of cocaine were sold to an undercover officer. Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s…

Santa Barbara Methamphetamine Distributor Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison

November 12, 2021 LOS ANGELES —The culmination of a three-month investigation resulted in a Santa Barbara methamphetamine distributor being sentenced on November 8, 2021 to 180 months in federal prison for narcotics violations. Cesar Castillo-Pena, 35, of San Bernardino, California, was sentenced by United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner. On July 28…

St. Louis Man Sentenced to 12+ Years for Meth Trafficking

November 12, 2021 EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Lamondra Beckley, 43, of St. Louis, was sentenced to 147 months in prison on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, in federal court in East St. Louis, Illinois. Beckley had previously pled guilty in federal court to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one…

Nine Indicted in Counterfeit Promethazine-Codeine Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

November 12, 2021 BEAUMONT, Texas – A federal grand jury in Beaumont has returned a three-count indictment charging nine individuals in drug trafficking conspiracy in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux, Houston Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today. The…

Mexican National Extradited from Brazil

November 12, 2021 Washington, D.C. – A Mexican national was extradited from Brazil to the United States on Nov. 10 to face international drug trafficking charges. Jose Gonzalez-Valencia, aka Jafett Arias-Becerra, aka La Chepa, aka Camaron, and aka Santy, 46, arrived in the United States on Wednesday and made his initial court appearance…

Arizona Man Agrees to Plead Guilty to Distributing Fentanyl

November 11, 2021 LOS ANGELES – An Arizona man has agreed to plead guilty to a federal criminal charge for supplying counterfeit pharmaceutical pills containing fentanyl to the drug dealer accused of selling them to rapper Mac Miller, who soon afterward suffered a fatal overdose, the Justice Department announced today. Ryan Michael Reavis…

Angel Dominguez Ramirez Jr. Admits to Leading Vast Drug-Smuggling, Money Laundering Empire

November 10, 2021 SAN DIEGO – Angel Dominguez Ramirez Jr. of Tamaulipas, Mexico, pleaded guilty in federal court today to drug and money laundering charges, admitting that he was the leader of a trafficking organization that transported ton-quantities of cocaine from South America to Mexico and into the United States. According to court…

Man Sentenced for Fentanyl and Cocaine Conspiracy

November 10, 2021 BOSTON – A Quincy man was sentenced yesterday for his involvement in a drug conspiracy involving fentanyl and cocaine. Tre Fernandes, a/k/a “OZ” or “OC,” 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to three months in prison, nine months of home confinement and three…

Wisconsin Man Sentenced to 70 Months for Trafficking Methamphetamine

November 10, 2021 MADISON, Wis. – John G. McGarry, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Wisconsin, and Timothy M. O’Shea, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jerry Scheerer, 38, of Mauston, Wisconsin, today pleaded guilty to distributing methamphetamine and was sentenced by Chief U.S…

Two Fresno County Residents Indicted for Dealing Fentanyl

November 10, 2021 FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned two indictments today, charging two Fresno County men with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute it, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. In addition to being charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, Uriel Diaz-Santos, 19, of Fresno, was…

Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Distributing Opioids at His Pain Management Clinic

November 10, 2021 MIAMI – A Florida man pleaded guilty yesterday to unlawfully distributing opioids at his pain management clinic in Miami, Florida. According to court documents, Habib Geagea Palacios, 40, of Miami, owned a cash-only pain management clinic in Miami, Florida named General Care Center, Inc. At General Care Center, Palacios paid…

$2.1 Million in Meth Proceeds Results in Guilty Verdicts

November 10, 2021 KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two Mexican nationals have been convicted by a federal trial jury for their roles in a $2.1 million conspiracy to distribute over 100 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Kansas City metropolitan area and in northwest Missouri. Juan Guzman, also known as “Flaco,” 40, of Kansas City…

Nine Defendants Indicted in Burke County Drug Trafficking Investigation

November 10, 2021 AUGUSTA, GA – Eight men and one woman have been named in a newly unsealed federal indictment for taking part in a major drug trafficking conspiracy that funneled cocaine and other drugs from Atlanta to the Waynesboro, Ga., area. The indictment in USA v. Rhaney et al, dubbed Operation Washout…

Final Defendant Sentenced in Conspiracy that Shipped Cocaine from California to Savannah

November 10, 2021 SAVANNAH, GA: The last of four defendants has been sentenced to federal prison in a drug trafficking conspiracy that shipped cocaine and cash from coast to coast. Kevin Chelsea, 39, of Las Vegas, was sentenced to 37 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to…

Drug Network Supplier Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison

November 10, 2021 CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The supplier of a local drug network has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, announced William T. Stetzer, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Matthew Wondra, 34, of Murphy, N.C., was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after he…

Indiana Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Charges

November 10, 2021 FORT WAYNE, Indiana – Alfred A. Cooke, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of United States Drug Enforcement Administration-Merrillville, Indiana, and United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson of the Northern District of Indiana, announced that Fredrick Morgan II, 42, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Holly…

Pharmacist Found Guilty of Illegally Dispensing and Distributing Controlled Substances

November 10, 2021 ATLANTA – Thomas Ukoshovbera A. Gbenedio has been convicted by a federal jury of illegally dispensing and distributing controlled substances from his pharmacy. “Removing and ultimately eliminating healthcare providers who unlawfully dispense pharmaceutical products for non-medical reasons is an important part of DEA’s mission,” said Special Agent in Charge of…

Spokane Naturopath Agrees To Pay $47,700 Civil Penalty

November 10, 2021 SPOKANE, Washington – Christopher M. Valley, N.D., a Spokane-based naturopathic doctor, has agreed to pay $47,700 to resolve allegations under the Controlled Substances Act that he improperly prescribed controlled substances between December 2015 and December 2020. The Controlled Substances Act regulates certain drugs deemed to pose a risk of abuse…

DEA Honors Millions of U.S. Veterans

November 10, 2021 This Veterans Day, we honor the millions of U.S. veterans for relentlessly defending our Nation’s ideals. The Drug Enforcement Administration is proud to have nearly 2,000 veterans serving in DEA, who bring unique military expertise to advance our mission to keep American communities safe and healthy. To all U.S. veterans…

Grand Jury Indicts St. Louis Man and Others in International Drug Ring

November 09, 2021 ST. LOUIS – A federal grand jury indicted Derek Rockette of St. Louis for charges that include conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl. The indictment also alleges in a money laundering conspiracy charge that Rockette, Norma Corina Armenta-Lizarraga, Jian Zhong Fang, Yuede…

Father, Son and Four Others Indicted by Grand Jury in Fentanyl and Cocaine Conspiracy

November 09, 2021 ST. LOUIS – A federal grand jury indicted Gregory Dixson, Jr., Gregory Dixson III, Miguel Angel Gonzalez, Carlos Gonzalez, Quintin D. Adkins and Ruben Sanchez Blanco to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl. The indictment alleges that in 2015 all but Blanco conspired to…

Federal Law Enforcement in Chicago Seize Private Plane and 100 Kilograms of Cocaine

November 08, 2021 CHICAGO — Robert J. Bell, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Chicago Division, and John R. Lausch, Jr., U. S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois announced the arrests of three individuals on federal charges as part of an investigation that disrupted a suspected Mexico-to-Chicago…

Over 25 Pounds of Alleged Heroin and Three Guns Seized from Stash Apartment

November 08, 2021 NEW YORK – A months-long investigation culminated in the seizure of approximately 13 kilograms of alleged heroin (28 pounds), three guns and ammunition from an apartment used as a drug stash house in the North Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx. Two individuals were apprehended after initially evading arrest. The heroin…

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