WASHINGTON – Terrance C. “Terry” Cole was sworn in as DEA Administrator on July 23, 2025, following his confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Mr. Cole is a distinguished public servant who has spent more than 31 years in law enforcement, 22 of which were at DEA fighting the drug cartels...

WASHINGTON, DC – 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 Antonio Hernandez Alvarado, aka “Tony Hernandez,” 42, was sentenced to life in prison for cocaine-importation, weapons, and false-statements offenses...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Department of State today announced new rewards for information that assists in identifying and bringing to justice two Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) leaders who allegedly participated in corrupt and violent narco-terrorism conspiracy with high-ranking Venezuelan officials. Through the...

NEW YORK – DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea and United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey S. Berman announced today that Adel El Zabayar was charged in Manhattan federal court with participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy, a cocaine importation conspiracy, and related weapons offenses involving...

NEW YORK – DEA Special Operations Division Special Agent in Charge Wendy Woolcock and United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey S. Berman announced today that Juan Carlos Bonilla Valladares, aka “El Tigre,” was charged in Manhattan federal court with conspiring to import cocaine into the...

WASHINGTON – Former president of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro Moros, Venezuela’s vice president for the economy, Venezuela’s minister of defense, and Venezuela’s chief supreme court justice are among those charged in New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Miami, along with current and former Venezuelan government officials and two Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias...

NEW YORK – On October 18, DEA Special Operations Division Special Agent in Charge Wendy C. Woolcock and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey S. Berman announced that on a jury returned a guilty verdict against Juan Antonio Hernández Alvarado, aka “Tony Hernández,” on all four...

NEW YORK – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and federal prosecutors today announced the arrest of former Honduran congressman Juan Antonio Hernandez Alvarado, aka “Tony Hernandez,” who was charged in Manhattan federal court for drug trafficking, weapons charges, and making false statements to federal agents. Hernandez is the brother of...

WASHINGTON - A member of the Honduran National Congress faces U.S. charges for drug trafficking, weapons and conspiracy thanks to a DEA-led international drug investigation, federal law enforcement officials announced today. Honduran Congressman Fredy Renan Najera Montoya has been charged in Manhattan federal court with conspiring to import cocaine into...

WASHINGTON - DEA Acting Administrator Robert Patterson today announced results of the 2017 National Drug Threat (NDTA), which outlines the threats posed to the United States by domestic and international drug trafficking and the abuse of illicit drugs. “This report underscores the scope and magnitude of the ongoing opioid crisis...