DEA El Paso and Partners Remove 4,796 Pounds of Unused Medications from Communities in West Texas and New Mexico
El Paso, Texas – DEA and its local law enforcement partners collected 4,796 pounds of unused medications during the 30th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 25, 2026.
“I had the pleasure of visiting multiple locations in El Paso and saw the overwhelming response from our community,” said Omar Arellano, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s El Paso Division. “On behalf of the men and women of the DEA, I thank everyone who came on that Saturday.”
Since 2010, DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has provided an easy and accessible way to dispose of medications that could pose a threat if misused. Over the past 16 years, National Prescription Take Back Day has removed more than 20 million pounds of unwanted medications from communities across the United States.
According to a report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a majority of people who use prescription medication for a nonmedical purpose obtained that medication from a family member or friend.
DEA continues to expand opportunities to make safe disposal of medications more accessible nationwide. Beyond DEA’s Take Back Day, the community can regularly and safely dispose of unneeded medications at close to 17,000 pharmacies, hospitals, and businesses, working to help clean out medicine cabinets throughout the year.
Those locations can be found at www.dea.gov/everyday.
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El Paso Diversion Program Manager Michael Jones, Registration Program Specialist Brisza Jimenez, Diversion Outreach Specialist Matthew Taylor, and a member of the Texas National Guard manned the drop-off location at the El Paso Division. Behind them are the two El Paso wrapped vehicles.
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