TOPEKA, Kans. – The Drug Enforcement Administration St. Louis Division announced today an intelligence data-driven operation with local law enforcement partners in northeast Kansas to address the alarming increase in overdose events caused by counterfeit pills with fentanyl. Statistics collected about overdoses and overdose deaths in the region indicated shortcomings...

WASHINGTON – Today, the Drug Enforcement Administration sent a letter to federal, state, and local law enforcement partners warning of a nationwide spike in fentanyl-related mass-overdose events. Administrator Anne Milgram outlined the current threat and offered DEA support to law enforcement officers responding to these tragic incidents. “Fentanyl is killing...

BENTON, Ill. – Eugene Falls, 42, of East St. Louis, Illinois, was sentenced on March 31, 2022, to 405 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine; attempted possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine; distribution of heroin; and money laundering...

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced Charles “Man Man” Thompson to 45 years in prison today. The 35-year-old St. Louis resident pleaded guilty in January 2020 to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine; three counts of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking...

BENTON, Ill. – Jose Angulo, 51, of Phoenix, was sentenced on March 24, 2022, to 30 years for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, money laundering, and distribution of methamphetamine. Evidence demonstrated that between 2018 through November of 2019, Angulo was responsible for shipping more than 50 pounds of methamphetamine to the...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A West Plains, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine in Howell, Greene, and Texas counties. Luis Ortiz Rodriguez, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 20 years and 10...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two Trenton, Missouri, men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in Grundy County, Mo., and elsewhere. Troy Lee Palmer, 24, and Dallas W. Hughs, 26, were charged in a six-count indictment returned under seal by...

WASHINGTON – Today, Administrator Anne Milgram announced the Drug Enforcement Administration’s continued commitment to expanding access to medication-assisted treatment to help those suffering from substance use disorder. “In this moment, when the United States is suffering tens of thousands of opioid-related overdose deaths every year, the DEA’s top priority is...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Dixon, Missouri, woman was charged in federal court today with possessing methamphetamine to distribute. Connie M. Gonzales, 51, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo., with one count of possessing methamphetamine to distribute. According to an affidavit filed...

WICHITA, KAN. – A federal jury convicted two Wichita men on charges related to an inmate-run drug trafficking ring headquartered from a prison cell in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. Following the presentation of court documents and evidence at trial, a jury found Kevin Lewis, 58, and Travis Vontress, 45, guilty...