SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Chi Meng Yang, 31, of Montague, and his sister Gaosheng Laitinen, 36, of Mt. Shasta, were charged today for conspiring to commit bribery, bribery of a public official, conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, and manufacturing marijuana, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to the criminal complaint, on...

FRESNO, Calif. - A federal grand jury returned a seven-count indictment today against Omar Manuel Ramirez, 34, of Fresno, charging him with conspiracy to distribute marijuana, manufacture of marijuana, money laundering conspiracy, and money laundering, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John J...

FRESNO, Calif. - Ramsey Jeries Farraj, 41, of Bakersfield, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for conspiring with his former business partner, Majed Bashir “Mike” Akroush, 49, also of Bakersfield, to structure $4,204,965 obtained from the sale of smokeable synthetic drugs, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. Smokable...

FRESNO, Calif. - Timothy Ortiz, aka Michael Fitton, 46, of Waukegan, Illinois, pled guilty today for his role in a large-scale smokeable synthetic cannabinoids trafficking organization that shipped misbranded synthetic drugs interstate from a processing lab in Millbrae, California, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. Smokeable synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known...

FRESNO, Calif. - Two former deputies with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office were sentenced today for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute marijuana, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill sentenced Logan August, 30, of Bakersfield, to three years’ probation, $16,200...

FRESNO, Calif. - A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Omar Felix-Corrales, 38, and Valeria Silvas Villarreal, 23, both of Mexico, charging them with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, and Felix-Corrales alone with possession of a firearm in relation to a drug...

FRESNO, Calif. - Abudullah Almashwali, 31, a Yemeni national formerly residing in Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced today to six and a half years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and distribution of heroin and cocaine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert and DEA Special Agent-in-Charge John J. Martin announced. According...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Justice Department today announced the seizure of the largest criminal marketplace on the internet, AlphaBay, which operated for over two years on the dark web and was used to sell deadly illegal drugs, stolen and fraudulent identification documents and access devices, counterfeit goods, malware and other...

ATLANTA, Ga. - Cathine Lavina Sellers of Roswell, Georgia, has been arraigned on federal charges of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, and two synthetic opioids, furanyl-fentanyl and U-47700. A search warrant affidavit in the case alleges that Sellers was selling counterfeit 30mg (oxycodone) pills out of her residence...

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Christopher Owens, a physician licensed to practice in California, was indicted on Tuesday with unlawfully prescribing oxycodone, announced U.S. Attorney Brian J. Stretch and DEA Special Agent-in-Charge John J. Martin. The indictment alleges that between September 2012 and June 2015, Owens, 50, now of Indianapolis, Indian...