NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and heroin, and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to court documents, Christopher McKinley Barnes, 36, sold heroin and fentanyl from late 2016 until he was arrested on April 16...

ABINGDON, Va. – A family medicine physician in Bluefield, Virginia, was sentenced yesterday to one month in prison on a charge of misbranding Schedule II controlled substances to three individuals, two of whom his office staff called “back door patients.” According to court documents, between December 2014 and January 2016...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Utica, New York man pleaded guilty yesterday to charges relating to his sale of over $1.2 million in opioid pills and counterfeit U.S. currency on multiple dark web criminal marketplaces. According to court documents, from around October 2016 through February 2021, Albie Pagan, 65, operated under...

ABINGDON, Va. – Nancy Degollado, an Atlanta, Georgia woman and the final defendant to be sentenced in a multi-state methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy, was sentenced last week to 204 months in federal prison. According to court documents, from October 2018 through August 2019, members of a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy traveled to...

Greenbelt, MD – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm today sentenced Michael Bailey, age 32, of Winchester, Maryland, to 40 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Bailey, a previously convicted felon, sold a firearm to a member...

HOUSTON – DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day collected 829,543 pounds (419.7 tons) of unused, expired, and unwanted medications across the country. The Houston Field Division collected 27,850 pounds of that grand total. Americans once again showed their dedication toward helping prevent addiction and potential overdose by removing prescription...

HOUSTON – Today the Drug Enforcement Administration announced a new initiative, Project Wave Breaker, to disrupt the flow of deadly fentanyl into the United States. Project Wave Breaker will direct interdiction, enforcement, and outreach efforts to the DEA Houston Division to disrupt the flow of fentanyl in and around the...

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man pleaded guilty today to conspiring with members of an international drug trafficking organization to possess and distribute more than 200 kilograms of cocaine. According to court documents, Darrell King, II, 45, was a kilogram dealer of cocaine in the Tidewater area. Between...

Baltimore, MD – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced Desmond Ringgold, a/k/a Worm and Fool, age 32, of Baltimore, Maryland to 15 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role as a supervisor in a prolific drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated in...

The DEA Washington Division, an agency currently working to expand partnerships to offer targeted, full-scope solutions for the drug problems in Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia, today introduced a new webinar series, “Empowering DMV Healthcare Professionals.” The idea for this unique concept was crystalized during the pandemic, when overdose rates...