WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration commemorated the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with a ceremony at DEA Headquarters honoring those killed that day and those who later died from 9/11-related illnesses. The ceremony also marked the opening of Never Forget: 25 Years After...

DETROIT – As students return to school, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Detroit Field Division is reminding communities in its area of responsibility in Michigan, Ohio and northern Kentucky, about the hidden threat of drug trafficking through social media platforms, while also encouraging families to have conversations about the potentially...

Pensacola, Fla. – Aubrey Darnell Joseph Sr., 36, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. "This trafficker got caught...

EL PASO - A Mexican national, Luis Carlos Davalos-Lopez, 29, pleaded guilty today in El Paso, Texas, to conspiracy to bring in aliens to the United States. According to court documents, Davalos-Lopez conspired with others to smuggle migrants through an underground tunnel from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas...

Pensacola, Fla. – Andre Darrell Perry, 37, of Pensacola and Loredana Alessandra Bassolino, 38, of Navarre, Fla., pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl and more than 5 grams of methamphetamine. Perry also pleaded guilty to additional charges of possession...

Tallahassee, Fla. – Fairley Trey Pitts, 35, of Perry, Fla., was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of...

Fort Myers, Florida – Miguel Lauzado Hernandez (37, Naples) has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for distribution of methamphetamine. Hernandez pleaded guilty on June 3, 2025. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, on September 12, 2024, Hernandez sold approximately one...

A Mexican national pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl for importation into the United States, and conspiracy to distribute listed chemicals for the unlawful importation of a controlled substance. “For years, Ojeda Elenes manufactured and imported enormous quantities of fentanyl often using precursor chemicals obtained from...

MIAMI – Five defendants pleaded guilty to conspiring to import thousands of kilograms of cocaine into South Florida aboard sport fishing vessels from the Dominican Republic. According to court records, Andy Gabriel Mercedes-Hernandez, 32; Jesus Alberto Salcedo-Perez, 32; Keisy Estibet Peguero, 38; Enmanuel Amauris Rivera-Cabrera, 32; and Mario Joel Rijo-Jimenez...

OMAHA, Neb. – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is joining Facing Fentanyl , to unite families, communities and organizations across the country in recognizing National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, Friday, August 21. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the national observance which honors and remembers the lives...