NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The mastermind behind an extensive drug trafficking ring entered a guilty plea this week, and four other defendants either entered pleas or were sentenced recently to substantial terms in prison for distributing large amounts of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in Newport News and North Carolina. “This...

ROANOKE, Va. – Bryan Wade Lewis, a former pharmacist at Home Choice Partners in Roanoke, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court for tampering with a consumer product, hydromorphone, that affected interstate commerce. Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA's Washington Division and Acting United States Attorney Daniel...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Seabrook, New Hampshire man pleaded guilty today to his role in a nationwide conspiracy to distribute synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known as “spice” or “K2.” According to court documents, William Walsh, 56, operated two shops in Seabrook—“Up N Smoke” and “The Smoking Monkey”—from which he sold retail...

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Three Colombian nationals pleaded guilty today to possessing with the intent to distribute nearly 1,500 kilograms of cocaine when they were interdicted in an unregistered vessel on the Pacific Ocean. According to court documents, on August 6, 2020, Eliovar Pineda, 45, Jenuar Angulo, 40, and Marcial...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Camp Springs, Maryland man was sentenced today to 140 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, which led to the seizure of over $1 million in cash, approximately 45 kilograms of cocaine, over $240,000 worth of jewelry, four firearms, and...

HARRISONBURG, Va.- A Front Royal, Virginia man, who in the fall of 2017 distributed two fatal, fentanyl-laced doses of heroin, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Harrisonburg to a drug charge that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison, and the possibility of a life...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The DEA Washington Division is pleased to announce that Jarod A. Forget has been selected as the new Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Washington Division. SAC Forget will be responsible for DEA offices and mission throughout Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. This will...

WASHINGTON - Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator Timothy Shea arrived in Panama this week on an official visit, marking the first time a DEA Administrator visited Panama, a hub for regional DEA operations. Upon his arrival, Acting Administrator Shea and United States Chargé d’Affaires to Panama Stewart Tuttle met with...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Jose Manuel Prieto, Jr., of Apple Valley, California, was sentenced earlier this week to 97 months in prison for his involvement in a methamphetamine distribution and money laundering conspiracy. He pleaded guilty to the aforementioned charges on August 19, 2020. “I’m extremely proud of the work done...

Louisville, Ky. – DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day brought in nearly a million pounds of unused, expired, and unwanted medications across the country, the largest amount ever collected in the program’s ten years. Americans once again showed their dedication to remove prescription pills from their homes to prevent...