WASHINGTON - DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart today issued this statement following the capture of Hector Beltran-Leyva: "One of the world's biggest drug empires continues to crumble with the capture of Hector Beltran-Leyva in Mexico. Much of the violence and lawlessness that has plagued Mexico can be traced to this...

WASHINGTON - This Saturday, September 27, the Drug Enforcement (DEA) and almost 4,000 of its national, tribal, and community law enforcement partners will hold the ninth National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. Americans can take their expired, unneeded, or unwanted prescription drugs to one of over 5,200 collection sites across the...

SAN DIEGO - Nine people are in custody following DEA’s takedown of Operation Shattered Dreams . Warrants served in San Diego, Spring Valley, Chula Vista, and El Cajon are the conclusion of a year-long undercover drug operation. The Drug Enforcement (DEA) served numerous search warrants from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00...

(WASHINGTON) - Today the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration’(DEA’s) Final Rule for the Disposal of Controlled Substances, which implements the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010,was made available online for preview by the Federal Register at https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2014-20926.pdf . The Act, in an effort to curtail the prescription drug...

(WASHINGTON)-A Colombian man extradited to the Eastern District of Virginia pleaded guilty today for his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Drug Enforcement (DEA) Special Agent James Terry Watson in Bogotà, Colombia, on June 20, 2013. “Today’s guilty plea is an important step forward in holding those responsible for...

WASHINGTON - On Friday the U. S. Drug Enforcement (DEA) will publish in the Federal Register the Final Rule moving hydrocodone combination (HCPs) from Schedule III to the more-restrictive Schedule II, as recommended by the Assistant Secretary for Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human (HHS) and as...

SAN DIEGO - Jose Rodrigo Arechiga-Gamboa, also known as “Chino Antrax,” was formally extradited to the United States by the Netherlands today. Arechiga-Gamboa arrived at San Diego International airport about 2 p.m. under heavy security. He was flown in by the United States Marshals Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration...

WASHINGTON - Seven Colombian nationals were extradited to the United States to face charges relating to the kidnapping and murder of Drug Enforcement (DEA) Special Agent James Terry Watson. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Dana J...

WASHINGTON - Michele M. Leonhart, Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement (DEA) and Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced terrorism, narcotics, and weapons charges against Florindo Eleuterio Flores-Hala, a/k/a “Comrade Artemio,” Victor Quispe-Palomino, a/k/a “Comrade José,” and Jorge Quispe-Palomino, a/k/a “Raul.” As...

SAN DIEGO - The former owner of a San Diego pharmacy, Alma Jean Loechler, 66, San Diego, has entered into a civil settlement agreement with the federal government and paid $147,500 this week for allegedly mishandling significant amounts of highly-addictive and frequently-abused prescription narcotics. The settlement is with Alma Jean...