NEW YORK – DEA Special Operation Division Special Agent in Charge Wendy C. Woolcock and United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss announced today that Juan Manuel Avila Meza, a former member of the Honduran National Police, was sentenced today to 12 years in prison...

OMAHA, Neb. –Seizures of fentanyl and heroin made by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in North Dakota increased in 2020 with investigators seeing a 223 percent increase from 2019 in the two drugs combined. Fentanyl, estimated at approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than...

OMAHA, Neb. –The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is reporting a 30 percent increase in fentanyl seizures in Minnesota for 2020, after investigators pulled 6.2 kilograms, or the equivalent of more than three million lethal doses, off the streets. Included in the 6.2 kilograms are more than 55,000 counterfeit pills, many...

OMAHA, Neb. – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is warning the public of a widespread fraud scheme in which telephone scammers impersonate DEA agents in an attempt to extort money or steal personal identifiable information. A new public service announcement aims to raise awareness that DEA will never call demanding...

WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration is warning the public of a widespread fraud scheme in which telephone scammers impersonate DEA agents in an attempt to extort money or steal personal identifiable information. A new public service announcement aims to raise awareness that DEA will never phone demanding money or...

WASHINGTON – DEA Acting Administrator D. Christopher Evans today announced the release of the 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment, DEA’s annual publication outlining the threats posed to the United States by domestic and international drug trafficking and the abuse of illicit drugs. “This year’s report shows the harsh reality of...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With opioid overdose deaths increasing during the pandemic, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced its 20th Take Back Day scheduled for April 24. At its last Take Back Day in October, DEA collected a record-high amount of expired, unused prescription medications, with the public turning in close to...

OMAHA, Neb. – Recognizing an increase in opioid overdose deaths during the pandemic, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced its 20th Take Back Day scheduled for Saturday, April 24. DEA collected a record-high amount of expired, unwanted and unused prescription medications during the last Take Back Day in October, with...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration launched a comprehensive law enforcement and prevention support initiative aimed at reducing drug use, abuse, and overdose deaths. “Operation Engage” allows participating field divisions to focus on the biggest drug threat in their respective geographic areas. The initiative builds on...

OMAHA, Neb. – Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigators took an estimated $2.8 million worth of methamphetamine and marijuana off the streets of Iowa in 2020 and reported an increase in cocaine and fentanyl seizures. Agents from DEA offices in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Sioux City and the Quad Cities removed...