DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
1003 Results - Showing 221 to 230
PRESS RELEASE

Savannah Woman Pleads Guilty to Laundering ‘Pill Mill’ Money

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- A former Garden City, Ga., clinic owner and CEO has admitted to laundering money in connection with a notorious “pill mill” doctor who illegally dispensed massive amounts of controlled substances. Jamesetta Whipple-Duncan, 58, of Savannah, pled guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of money laundering...
PRESS RELEASE

UT Southwestern to Pay $4.5 Million to Resolve Alleged Controlled Substance Act Violations That Permitted Drug Diversion by Staff

Dallas - The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has agreed to pay $4.5 million to resolve allegations that its violations of the Controlled Substances Act allowed hospital staff to divert fentanyl and other dangerous drugs from the hospital, announced DEA Dallas Special Agent in Charge, Eduardo A. Chávez. The...
PRESS RELEASE

Federal Judge Sentences Methamphetamine Trafficker to More than 17 Years in Prison

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – James Kristoffer Cantley, 39, formerly of Newton, N.C., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell to 210 months in prison and five years of supervised release for trafficking methamphetamine, announced William T. Stetzer, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In...
PRESS RELEASE

Fort Worth Jury Convicts Whitt Drug Trafficker

DALLAS - A longtime drug dealer has been convicted of drug and gun crimes, announced DEA Special Agent in Charge Eduardo A. Chávez. Following a two-day trial, a federal jury convicted Jerome Thomas Watkins, 44, of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin; possession with...
PRESS RELEASE

Pharmacist Found Guilty of Illegally Dispensing and Distributing Controlled Substances

ATLANTA - Thomas Ukoshovbera A. Gbenedio has been convicted by a federal jury of illegally dispensing and distributing controlled substances from his pharmacy. “Removing and ultimately eliminating healthcare providers who unlawfully dispense pharmaceutical products for non-medical reasons is an important part of DEA’s mission,” said Special Agent in Charge of...
PRESS RELEASE

Nine Defendants Indicted in Burke County Drug Trafficking Investigation

AUGUSTA, GA - Eight men and one woman have been named in a newly unsealed federal indictment for taking part in a major drug trafficking conspiracy that funneled cocaine and other drugs from Atlanta to the Waynesboro, Ga., area. The indictment in USA v. Rhaney et al, dubbed Operation Washout...
PRESS RELEASE

Final Defendant Sentenced in Conspiracy that Shipped Cocaine from California to Savannah

SAVANNAH, GA: The last of four defendants has been sentenced to federal prison in a drug trafficking conspiracy that shipped cocaine and cash from coast to coast. Kevin Chelsea, 39, of Las Vegas, was sentenced to 37 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to...
PRESS RELEASE

Drug Network Supplier Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The supplier of a local drug network has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, announced William T. Stetzer, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Matthew Wondra, 34, of Murphy, N.C., was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after he...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Brings in nearly 745,000 Pounds of Unneeded Medications, Continues Fight against Opioid Epidemic

ATLANTA – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), along with its law enforcement and community partners, has removed close to 745,000 pounds of unneeded prescriptions from medicine cabinets across the country as part of DEA’s ongoing commitment to turn the tide against the U.S. opioid epidemic. Following last month’s 21st National...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Brings in nearly 745,000 Pounds of Unneeded Medications, Continues Fight against Opioid Epidemic

DALLAS – The Drug Enforcement Administration, along with its law enforcement partners, has removed close to 745,000 pounds of unneeded prescriptions from medicine cabinets across the country as part of DEA’s ongoing commitment to turn the tide against the U.S. opioid epidemic. Following last month’s 21st National Prescription Drug Take...