SPOKANE, Wash. – Senior U.S. District Judge Edward F. Shea has sentenced Dr. Janet Sue Arnold, age 63, of Benton City, Washington, to 48 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute opioid pain medications and other controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose...

BOISE, Idaho – A Boise woman was sentenced to 125 months in federal prison for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it to others. According to court records, in April 2019, Angelina Ruth Bustamonte was stopped by police for a traffic violation. During the investigation, a drug detecting canine...

SPOKANE, Wash.– Dr. Jacqueline Thomas, N.D., an East Wenatchee-based naturopathic doctor, and Dr. Rebecka Hoppins, an Edmonds-based naturopathic doctor, have each agreed to pay $16,500 to resolve allegations under the Controlled Substances Act that they improperly prescribed controlled substances. The Controlled Substances Act regulates certain drugs deemed to pose a...

BOISE – A Jerome man was sentenced to federal prison for distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. According to court records, Jose Luis Rodriguez-Landeros, 40, a Mexican national living in Jerome, was involved in the distribution of methamphetamine in the Magic Valley. Using a confidential informant, officers purchased...

SEATTLE– The Drug Enforcement Administration will host its 22nd National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This bi-annual event offers free, anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 local drop-off locations nationwide. “Disposing of unneeded medications can help prevent...

LOS ANGELES – A Sylmar man pleaded guilty this afternoon to two federal drug trafficking offenses, one of which stemmed from a 2020 transaction in which he sold bogus oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl that caused a U.S. Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton to suffer a fatal overdose. Gustavo Jaciel...

LOS ANGELES – Edward Buck, a businessman and long-time figure of West Hollywood politics, was sentenced today to 360 months in federal prison for providing fatal doses of methamphetamine to two men who died at his apartment after he injected them with the drug. Buck, 67, was sentenced by United...

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A Fairbanks man was sentenced to 14 years in prison followed by eight years of supervised release for distributing counterfeit pills containing fentanyl resulting in the death of another individual. In issuing the sentence, U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Beistline noted that the 21-year-old victim had his...

SPOKANE, Wash. – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, recently launched Operation Engage Spokane, which is a comprehensive community-level approach for addressing the drug epidemic – focusing on fentanyl distribution – through prevention strategies, facilitating conversations, and collaboration...

YAKIMA, Wash. – Chief U.S. District Judge Stanley Bastian has sentenced Jesus B. Zavala-Alvarez, 28, of Kennewick, Washington, to 135 months in federal prison for his role in guarding a stash house, where the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized over 8 pounds of methamphetamine, 64 ounces of liquid methamphetamine and...