ALBANY, Ga. – A Georgia inmate who is a high ranking member of the Ghostface Gangsters (GFG)—a criminal organization founded in the prison system—pleaded guilty in federal court this morning to directing a large methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy involving another prisoner and GFG member, as well as a third co-defendant. Donald...

WASHINGTON – On Oct. 26, DEA and over 4,400 law enforcement partners collected nearly 630,000 pounds of unused medications at 4,600 locations nationwide. This effort to empty medicine cabinets helps to prevent drug misuse before it starts. Locally, the DEA Washington Division, which includes the District of Columbia, Maryland, and...

Baltimore, Maryland – Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland and Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, announced that their agencies have formed the Maryland Fatal Fentanyl Overdose Task Force (“MFFOTF”). The alarming rate of overdoses in Maryland has...

RALEIGH, N.C.- A Crip Gang member from Winston-Salem was sentenced today to 480 months in prison for trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Raleigh area. On April 25, 2024, Marquis Peterson, age 30, was convicted by a federal jury of three charges including conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more...

ALBANY, Ga. – Two Southwest Georgia residents with criminal pasts pleaded guilty to federal charges resulting from an armed drug trafficking investigation conducted by local, state and federal level law enforcement agencies. Justin Harris Vinson, 42, of Warwick, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine on Sept...

SAVANNAH, GA: A physician who operates weight-loss clinics in the Savannah area has agreed to pay civil penalties and to accept increased oversight to resolve allegations that he violated the Controlled Substances Act. Dr. Donald Lyle Gates, who operates three Savannah-area Scale Solutions clinics, reached a settlement with the Southern...

NEW BERN, N.C. – Christian Ricardo Arce-Cazares, a 36-year-old resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, illegally present in the United States has been sentenced to 150 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and aiding and abetting the distribution of...

COLUMBIA, S.C. – James Brewer, 36, of Columbia was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to distribution of fentanyl. Evidence presented to the court showed that on April 22, 2022, Brewer and the victim, R.B., discussed the exchange of drugs and that Brewer sent R.B. a...

Washington, DC – As schools in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia open their doors to students and teachers this month, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Division is urging the community to have important conversations about the consequences of drug experimentation and misuse as the new school year...

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Jason Dean Keever, 42, of Asheville, was sentenced to 336 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release today for trafficking methamphetamine, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta...