WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration announces a major new initiative to strengthen collaboration between the United States and Mexico in the fight against cartels, whose trafficking networks are responsible for flooding American communities with deadly synthetic drugs. At the core of this effort is Project Portero, DEA’s flagship operation...

ALBUQUERQUE – A federal jury convicted an Albuquerque man for his role in a multi-state fentanyl trafficking organization, following an operation that resulted in the largest single fentanyl pill seizure in DEA history. The verdict came after a six-day trial and approximately eight hours of deliberation. The conviction of Alex...

WASHINGTON – The men and women of DEA will join local law enforcement agencies and community groups across the country on Tuesday, August 5, 2025 to participate in National Night Out events. National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes neighborhood camaraderie by strengthening partnerships between police and...

WASHINGTON – Just days into his new role, DEA Administrator Terrance Cole met with a law enforcement delegation from Italy, signifying the agency’s renewed focus on working with foreign law enforcement to meet the evolving threats of the global drug crisis. On July 24, DEA Administrator Cole, DEA Deputy Chief...

WASHINGTON – Terrance C. “Terry” Cole was sworn in as DEA Administrator on July 23, 2025, following his confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Mr. Cole is a distinguished public servant who has spent more than 31 years in law enforcement, 22 of which were at DEA fighting the drug cartels...

BROOKLYN, NY – José Adolfo Macías Villamar, aka "Fito,” a citizen of Ecuador, was arraigned in federal court in the Eastern District of New York on Monday for crimes allegedly committed as the leader of the Los Choneros Transnational Criminal Organization. Based in Ecuador, Los Choneros is believed to be...

LANSING, Mich. – Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Andrew Byerly Birge today announced that James Smith, 42, and Patrick Donald Martin, 27, both of Kalamazoo County, were sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in the distribution of controlled substances in April 2023 that resulted in...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration today announced the release of the 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA), DEA’s comprehensive review of the threats posed to the United States by deadly illicit drugs and the violent domestic and international drug trafficking organizations responsible for producing and trafficking the drugs...

WASHINGTON – DEA and nearly 4,500 law enforcement agencies joined forces last month to dispose of more than 620,000 pounds of unneeded and expired medications in an effort to prevent drug misuse and abuse. The spring collection event marked DEA’s 28th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Since its inception...

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi joined DEA Leadership, and the men and women of the DEA El Paso Field Division, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 to announce the single largest seizure of fentanyl pills in DEA history. During an enforcement operation the last week of April, agents from the DEA...