WASHINGTON – With robust public participation over the course of 17 prior events, the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Initiative continues to remove ever-higher amounts of opioids and other medicines from the nation’s homes, where they are vulnerable to misuse, theft or abuse by family members and visitors, including...

ORLANDO, Fla. - Sebastian Denton Zayas, age 30, of Orlando was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. Denton pleaded guilty on July 22, 2019. According to court documents and statements made during today’s sentencing hearing, in May 2019...

WASHINGTON – First Lady Melania Trump today joined DEA Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon to celebrate the official launch of the 2019 Red Ribbon campaign, dedicated to preserving the memory of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena – a DEA special agent who was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered in Mexico by...

OCALA, Fla. - Cesar Osiris DeLeon-Castillo, age 36, of Clermont, and Jefry Agustin Valerio-Perez, age 39, of Orlando, were sentenced to five years and four years and nine months in federal prison, respectively, for possession with the intent to distribute one kilogram of heroin. DeLeon-Castillo and Valerio-Perez pleaded guilty in...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have issued warning letters to four website owners of rogue online pharmacies offering to distribute or dispense controlled substances, including opioids, and advertising their sale in violation of federal law. This is the first time the...

TAMPA, Fla. – Mario Marquez Roberson, age 28, of St. Petersburg was sentenced today to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for distribution of 4-flouroisobutyrl fentanyl, a synthetic opioid. Roberson had pleaded guilty on April 2, 2019. According to court documents, Roberson engaged in six transactions with an...

PENSACOLA, Fla – A federal grand jury returned an indictment, charging five defendants with federal drug trafficking offenses. The defendants are: • Kadeem Ingram, 29, DeFuniak Springs, Florida; • Kenneth Ingram, 59, DeFuniak Springs, Florida; • Terrell Burdette, 63, DeFuniak Springs, Florida; • Sidney McGhee, 30, DeFuniak Springs, Florida; and...

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Robert Patrick Jensen, 49, and Michael T. Harris, 44, both of Gulf Breeze, Florida, appeared in federal court this week for their initial appearances after they were indicted by a federal grand jury in Pensacola on charges of acquiring controlled substances by fraud and identity theft. The...

TAMPA, Fla. - A significant opioid enforcement operation across the Middle District of Florida was executed involving charges against five individuals for their alleged involvement in various conspiracies to illicitly obtain and distribute oxycodone and other controlled substances. Those charged are the following: United States v. Hong Truong Hong Truong...

TAMPA, Fla. – Jonathan Budowski, 48, of Brooksville, a/k/a “Hard Times” was sentenced to 20 years and 8 months in federal prison for his role in selling multiple kilograms of methamphetamine as part of a drug trafficking conspiracy, while maintaining an arsenal of firearms and ammunition to protect his drug...