BROOKLYN, NY – José Adolfo Macías Villamar, aka "Fito,” a citizen of Ecuador, was arraigned in federal court in the Eastern District of New York on Monday for crimes allegedly committed as the leader of the Los Choneros Transnational Criminal Organization. Based in Ecuador, Los Choneros is believed to be...

From November 12-13, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), along with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) participated in the tenth Bilateral Drug Intelligence Working Group in Shanghai, China. DOJ, DEA, and CBP officials met with law enforcement counterparts from China’s Ministry of...

ATHENS, GREECE – This week, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hellenic Republic Ministry of Citizen Protection presided over the 38th annual International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC) in Greece. Hundreds of top drug enforcement officials from more than 130 countries discussed innovative ways to expand international cooperation with a...

Washington, D.C. - A Mexican national was extradited from Brazil to the United States on Nov. 10 to face international drug trafficking charges. Jose Gonzalez-Valencia, aka Jafett Arias-Becerra, aka La Chepa, aka Camaron, and aka Santy, 46, arrived in the United States on Wednesday and made his initial court appearance...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, John J. Durham, Director of Joint Task Force Vulcan (“JTFV”), Anne Milgram, Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Jay Greenberg, Acting Assistant Director of the Criminal Investigative Division of the Federal Bureau of...

WASHINGTON – A Mexican national will have his initial appearance in federal court in the District of Columbia later today on charges related to his alleged involvement in a criminal conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Acting...

DETROIT – Today, Attorney General William P. Barr announced the launch of Operation Relentless Pursuit, an initiative aimed at combating violent crime in seven of America’s most violent cities through a surge in federal resources. Joined at a press conference in Detroit by DEA Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon, ATF Acting...

NEW YORK - Christopher Tersigni, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration Special Operations Division and Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the extradition of Haji Abdul Satar Abdul Manaf, aka “Haji Abdul Sattar Barakzai,” for...