SAN FRANCISCO — As synthetic drugs continue to evolve and threaten American lives, DEA chemists and forensic science professionals play an essential role in helping the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration identify emerging threats, connect evidence to investigations, and provide timely information that can save lives. From analyzing suspected fentanyl and...

Sherman, TX – An Arizona woman and a Dallas man have been sentenced to federal prison as part of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation into a deadly fentanyl overdose. Pamela Esquivias, also known as Azalea, 25, of Maricopa, Arizona, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute...

FRESNO, Calif. — Three individuals were charged today following a multi‑agency investigation that dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine conversion laboratory in Terra Bella, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris announced. Jose Diarte-Perez, 46, and Carlos Beltran-Ochoa, 27, both from Mexico and illegally...

SEATTLE – A 22-year-old Mexican national illegally present in the U.S. was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to six years in prison for drug and gun crimes. Jesus Cristerna Lucas delivered 5,000 fentanyl pills to an undercover agent in November 2024. This drug sale came mere months...

BOISE, Idaho--Ricky Dee Sedlacek, 63, of Caldwell, Idaho, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for distribution of methamphetamine. According to court records, Sedlacek sold more than a quarter pound of methamphetamine over multiple transactions in Oregon and Idaho. Investigators contacted Sedlacek during a traffic stop as he was...

BOISE, Idaho - Michael Joseph Pena, 28, of Pocatello, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. According to court records, Pena sold methamphetamine and fentanyl on multiple occasions throughout the summer and fall of 2025. When questioned...

SEATTLE – A 40-year-old repeat offender with a long history of drug and gun crimes was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 10.5 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Levi Frank Graham, most recently of Everett, Washington, was identified as a drug redistributor for...

SAN FRANCISCO- In June, DEA San Francisco Field Division and detectives with Marin County Sheriff’s Department Specialized Investigative Unit (SIU), began a narcotics investigation into Ian Howerton, 31, of San Francisco. During the investigation, undercover detectives conducted controlled purchases which included the sale of Cocaine and Ketamine from Howerton in...

PORTLAND, Ore.—Hugo Alberto Roman Aparicio, 42, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release for a gun trafficking conspiracy. All guns were seized and forfeited. According to court documents, Roman Aparicio and others, conspired to smuggle guns from Portland to Mexico. They hid 12 firearms...

SEATTLE– The 32-year-old leader of a drug trafficking organization that preyed, in part, on those living unhoused in “The Jungle” and in the Seattle Chinatown International District was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle to eight years in prison. Daniel Ibarra Loera, an illegal alien, living in Kent...