COLUMBIA, S.C. — Pasqual Perez Duckett, 41, of Newberry, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for distribution of fentanyl which resulted in the death of a 28-year-old Columbia woman. In July 2023, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, in collaboration with the City of Columbia Police Department...

RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced a Nash County man to 20 years in federal prison for selling more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. On February 14, 2024, Kenneth Orlin Simmons, Jr., age 36, pleaded guilty to these crimes. “Drug dealers flood our communities with deadly methamphetamine and arm...

(COLUMBIA, SC) South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced today that the South Carolina State Grand Jury has issued indictments in the drug trafficking investigation known as “Ganjapreneur.” To date, State Grand Jury indictments unsealed yesterday brought 40 narcotics charges against 12 defendants in Richland and Lexington counties. The focus...

SAN DIEGO – Claudia Patricia Alvarez Hernandez, the wife of incarcerated Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Jorge Alberto Valenzuela Valenzuela, was sentenced in federal court today to 14 years in prison for her role in a massive drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy. U.S. District Judge Andrew G. Schopler also ordered Alvarez...

ATLANTA – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is intensifying its fight against the deadly threat of synthetic opioids with the launch of Fentanyl Free America, a comprehensive enforcement initiative and public awareness campaign aimed at reducing both the supply and demand for fentanyl. This effort underscores DEA's unwavering commitment to...

MACON, Ga. – A former correctional officer cadet who attempted to bring more than a half kilogram of 100% pure methamphetamine into Dooly State Prison for an inmate pleaded guilty to his crime in federal court. Julius Deshawn Williams Jr., 29, of Bonaire, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of...

RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Sampson County native on twelve counts of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine stemming from his leadership of a large-scale methamphetamine distribution operation in Eastern North Carolina. “This verdict sends a strong message: if you flood our communities with deadly...

ATHENS, Ga. – A dozen defendants involved in a major methamphetamine ring operating between Mexico and a conversion site in Monroe, Georgia, responsible for converting and distributing thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine shipped in from Mexico and hidden in boxes of jalapeños, are being held accountable for their crimes at...

SAN DIEGO – Marco Antonio Lopez-Guerrero, an alleged Mexicali-based methamphetamine trafficker linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, was extradited from Mexico on October 24th to face drug and firearms charges. Lopez-Guerrero was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of California in July 2020. He is charged with...

SAN DIEGO – Scott Anthony Sargent of San Diego was sentenced in federal court to 18 years in prison for supplying the fentanyl that caused the fatal overdoses of a 40-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man in North Park in 2022. At the sentencing hearing on Friday, the U.S. Attorney’s...