NEWPORT NEWS, Va., – The ringleader behind an extensive drug trafficking ring was sentenced today to 33 years in prison for distributing large amounts of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in Newport News and North Carolina. According to court documents, Ramiro Ramirez-Barreto, 44, from the Mexican State of Morelos, operated a...

Baltimore, MD – Joel William Hammond, age 35, of Essex, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 28 grams of cocaine base. The guilty plea was announced by Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Washington Division; Jonathan F...

BALTIMORE, Md., – Joel William Hammond, age 35, of Essex, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 28 grams of cocaine base. The guilty plea was announced by Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Washington Field Division; Jonathan...

Washington, D.C. – Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the DEA Washington Division, is alerting all area residents to an increase in drug overdose deaths tied to counterfeit pills containing the powerful synthetic opioid, fentanyl. Manufactured by Mexican drug trafficking organizations, and marketed as a medication such as...

WASHINGTON – On June 28, Anne Milgram was sworn in as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration by U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland following confirmation by the U.S. Senate June 24. As DEA Administrator, she leads an agency of more than 10,000 people, including nearly 5,000 Special Agents and...

Baltimore, MD –Ronald Alexander, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and powder and crack cocaine. While participating in a narcotics conspiracy, Alexander was employed by “Safe Streets,” an organization working to reduce violence and crime in Baltimore through intervention. While he was engaged in the...

WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration today announced an important step to improve access to medications for opioid use disorder, especially in rural areas where those suffering with opioid use disorder may have limited treatment options. Under the final rule published today, DEA registrants who are authorized to dispense methadone...

ABINGDON, Va. – A Miami, Florida man pleaded guilty last week to conspiring with a Bristol, Tennessee man to pay and receive kickbacks. According to court documents, Michael Olshavsky, 51, of Miami, Florida, and John Paul Linke, 57, of Bristol, Tenn., conspired to receive and pay kickbacks to encourage urine...

Baltimore, MD – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III, sentenced Robert Bascom, age 48, of Baltimore, Maryland to eight years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 grams of heroin. The sentence was announced...

HARRISONBURG, Va. – A Winchester woman pleaded guilty today to distributing acetyl fentanyl and fentanyl. According to court documents, Jennifer Lynn Heishman, 37, of Winchester, Virginia, contacted an individual on February 23, 2019, to arrange a purchase of heroin. Later that evening, Heishman paid $100 for two foil packets of...