COLUMBIA, SC — Pedro Huerta Ramon, 39, of Mexico, was sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and unlawfully reentering the United States after prior deportation. Evidence presented in court revealed that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)...

BRUNSWICK, GA: An Appling County man has been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to trafficking methamphetamine. Christopher Eric Stone, 40, of Baxley, Ga., was sentenced to 68 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for...

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a 21-count indictment against 13 individuals for drug trafficking offenses. The indictment alleges that beginning in January 2016, 13 individuals engaged in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine. Ten defendants were...

FLORENCE, S.C. — Raul Perales Guzman, 38, of San Luis, Mexico, was sentenced to more than 19 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and distribution of fentanyl. Evidence presented to the court showed that in June 2023, agents with the Drug Enforcement...

A Laurens County man has been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges. Ricky Rich, 42, of East Dublin, Ga., was sentenced to 228 months in prison after pleading guilty to Distribution of Fentanyl, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia...

SAN DIEGO – OptumRx Inc., a prescription drug benefit provider, has agreed to pay $20 million to resolve allegations that it improperly filled certain opioid prescriptions in violation of the Controlled Substances Act. The settlement resolves an investigation initiated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) into whether, between April 2013...

RALEIGH , N.C. – Timothy Mark Blackmon, a 29-year-old resident of Burgaw, has been sentenced to 198 months in prison for possessing counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl with the intent to distribute them in the Wilmington area. The counterfeit pills were made to look like a variety of prescription drugs...

ELIZABETH CITY , N.C. – A Tarboro man was sentenced to 96 months in prison for armed drug trafficking. On March 5, 2024, Drako Butler, age 35, pled guilty to the charges. “Narcotics, guns, and money are a recipe for disaster,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “This Tarboro drug trafficker...

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced today that two individuals have been charged with murder in connection with the fentanyl overdose death of 31-year-old Connor Gerhart. Defendants Sheri Cavanaugh, 59, and her co-conspirator, Micah Seau, 31, are both charged with murder and conspiracy to commit a crime. The...

SAN DIEGO – Palomar Health, a California public health care district located in San Diego County, has paid $250,000 to resolve allegations of diversion of fentanyl from one of its facilities and failure to keep accurate records for fentanyl. Palomar Health is California’s largest health care district, with campuses in...