SEATTLE– The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is intensifying its fight against the deadly threat of synthetic opioids with the launch of Fentanyl Free America, a comprehensive enforcement initiative and public awareness campaign aimed at reducing both the supply and demand for fentanyl. This effort underscores DEA's unwavering commitment to protecting...

FRESNO, Calif. — Omar Vayas Duran, 45, of Delano, was sentenced today to six years and eight months in prison by U.S. District Judge Edward J. Davila for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in...

PENSACOLA, FLA. – David Blackman III, 39, of Pensacola, Fla., was sentenced to 15 years in prison after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, cocaine, and cocaine base. The sentence...

MIAMI – A Mexican national made his initial appearance in federal court in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 17 after law enforcement recovered more than 50,000 fentanyl pills concealed inside a child’s toy. According to the complaint affidavit, officers approached a vehicle driven by Guillermo Higuera German, 37. During a consensual...

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon who supplied the fentanyl that caused one fatal and two nonfatal overdoses in St. Louis in 2023 was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. On Dec. 2, 2023, Victor Mora approached three men who were at a gas station and offered to take...

SEATTLE – A 44-year-old Tacoma resident was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Seattle to seven years in prison for his high-level role in a multi-state drug trafficking conspiracy. Michael Young Jr pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances on July 7, 2025. Young was a high-level member...

SEATTLE – Two long-term investigations in the Western District of Washington wrapped up in October 2025 with multiple arrests and significant seizures of narcotics and firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. This afternoon, Jose Isabel Sandoval Zuniga, 30, of Sammamish, Washington who served as a primary source of firearms...

LOS ANGELES – An operation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division in October uncovered 628,000 pills containing carfentanil. According to the DEA, carfentanil is a synthetic opioid approximately 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl. The majority of the pills...

ST. LOUIS – A 31-year-old man who sold counterfeit Xanax on the dark web, both before and after he was indicted for doing so, was sentenced to 54 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Audrey G. Fleissig. “I hope you understand that you put people’s lives at risk,”...

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. – Jason Rigdon, 44, of Crawfordville, Fla., was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the...