ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Towanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's El Paso Division, and Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that Danyell Kerr, Jr. was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Kerr, 32, of Albuquerque, pled guilty to...

EL PASO – On Monday Feb. 26 beginning at midnight, t he Drug Enforcement Administration’s El Paso Division will be accepting applications for Special Agents to work in one of five local offices: El Paso, Midland, or Alpine, Texas or Las Cruces, Roswell, or Albuquerque, New Mexico. Upon completion of...

ALBUQUERQUE – T owanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration El Paso Division and Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced today that Pragneshkumar Patel and Johnathan Craft were sentenced to 30 and 70 months in prison, respectively, for...

SAN DIEGO -Josue Adan Lemus-Lara, aka “Fenix,” was sentenced in federal court today to 260 months in prison. His sentence follows his conviction after a week-long jury trial in November 2023 where he was convicted on all charges in a maritime cocaine trafficking conspiracy. During a multi-year wiretap investigation led...

SAN DIEG O - Derek Neal Turfler of San Diego was sentenced in federal court today to 97 months in prison for his role in selling fentanyl pills to a 27-year-old woman who fatally overdosed on May 9, 2022. According to his plea agreement, Turfler arranged a meeting to deliver...

EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso man was sentenced in a federal court in El Paso to 130 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. According to court documents, Gary Everett Rinker, 56, sold approximately 200 pills containing 19.8 grams of fentanyl to a buyer at...

SAN DIEG O - Former U.S. Border Patrol Agent Hector Hernandez pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he used his official position to smuggle unauthorized immigrants and illegal drugs across the border in exchange for money. According to his plea agreement, Hernandez admitted to using his official position...

San Diego– In 2023, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration marked its 50th anniversary as the only federal agency dedicated to fighting deadly drugs and drug-related violence. This milestone celebrated a half century of dedication to fighting drug trafficking in the United States and around the world, which threatens the public...

SAN DIEG O - Wilder Emilio Sanchez Farfan, aka Gato, an Ecuadorian national and alleged drug trafficker, made his first appearance in federal court today following his extradition to the United States from Colombia yesterday. At the hearing, Sanchez Farfan entered a not guilty plea. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara L...

EL PASO – The Drug Enforcement Administration’s El Paso Division has a new Special Agent in Charge (SAC). On Sept. 11, 2023, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram named Towanda R. Thorne-James as the new Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the El Paso Division, which serves New Mexico and West Texas...