SAN DIEG O - Scott Anthony Sargent of San Diego appeared in federal court today to face charges that he distributed the fentanyl that resulted in the deaths of two victims in North Park in 2022. During the same incident, Sargent and another person also overdosed but survived. Sargent is...

SAN DIEGO -Josue Adan Lemus-Lara, aka “Fenix,” was sentenced in federal court today to 260 months in prison. His sentence follows his conviction after a week-long jury trial in November 2023 where he was convicted on all charges in a maritime cocaine trafficking conspiracy. During a multi-year wiretap investigation led...

SAN DIEG O - Derek Neal Turfler of San Diego was sentenced in federal court today to 97 months in prison for his role in selling fentanyl pills to a 27-year-old woman who fatally overdosed on May 9, 2022. According to his plea agreement, Turfler arranged a meeting to deliver...

SAN DIEG O - Former U.S. Border Patrol Agent Hector Hernandez pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he used his official position to smuggle unauthorized immigrants and illegal drugs across the border in exchange for money. According to his plea agreement, Hernandez admitted to using his official position...

San Diego– In 2023, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration marked its 50th anniversary as the only federal agency dedicated to fighting deadly drugs and drug-related violence. This milestone celebrated a half century of dedication to fighting drug trafficking in the United States and around the world, which threatens the public...

SAN DIEG O - Wilder Emilio Sanchez Farfan, aka Gato, an Ecuadorian national and alleged drug trafficker, made his first appearance in federal court today following his extradition to the United States from Colombia yesterday. At the hearing, Sanchez Farfan entered a not guilty plea. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara L...

Washington, DC – The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, which covers the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) confiscated more than 639,000 fentanyl pills and 189 pounds of fentanyl powder in 2023. This amount represents more than a three-fold increase in the number of fake pills laced with...

WASHINGTON – Sheldon Marbley, 44, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 20 years in prison on five felony counts for running a drug trafficking operation in the Southwest section of the District that caused the deaths of two people and caused serious bodily injury to another two people. In...

Baltimore, Maryland – At a press conference earlier today, U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron, thanked federal, state and local law enforcement partners in the fight against violent crime in Maryland. The teamwork, community-based partnerships, and strategic law enforcement initiatives helped make a difference in reducing homicides in Baltimore in 2023...

WASHINGTON, D.C.– A 19-count indictment charges eight men from the metropolitan Washington D.C. area with participating in an interstate fentanyl and cocaine conspiracy believed responsible for distributing multi-kilogram quantities of narcotics in the region. The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, DEA Special Agent in Charge...