DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
103 Results - Showing 1 to 10
PRESS RELEASE

Orlando Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to Federal Prison

TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington sentenced Lennen Pacheco Colon (25, Orlando) to 6 years and 11 months in federal prison for distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl, to be served consecutive to a 200 month sentence the defendant has received in the Southern District...
PRESS RELEASE

Leader of Colombian Criminal Organization Pleads Guilty to Sending Over 19,000 Kilograms of Cocaine Via Semi-Submersible Vessels to Sinaloa Cartel

TAMPA , F la. – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that Nestor Hugo Gomez-Garcia (38, Colombia), a/k/a “Simon,” “Guava,” and “Guavita,” pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine on vessels subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up...
PRESS RELEASE

South Carolina Man Who Orchestrated Drug Deals by Phone from State Prison Sentenced to Over 15 Years in Federal Prison

JACKSONVILLE , Fla . - U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard sentenced Zachariah Ryan Luke (28, Bennettsville, South Carolina) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute, and possess with the intent to distribute, 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a...
PRESS RELEASE

Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Smuggle Over 6,000 Kilograms of Cocaine into the United States

TAMPA, F la. – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that Eliezer De Leon-Lopez (38, Guatemala), a/k/a “Wiro Loco” and “Daniel Martinez,” pleaded guilty today to conspiring to import cocaine into the United States. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison...
PRESS RELEASE

Fourteen Members of Major Drug Organization that Trafficked Hundreds of Kilograms of Cocaine and Fentanyl Sentenced

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Fourteen members of a major drug organization that trafficked hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl in the Charlotte area and illegally possessed firearms in support of that operation were sentenced today, following a two-year investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), announced Dena J. King...
PRESS RELEASE

Cocaine Trafficker Sentenced to Two Decades in Federal Prison

STATESBORO, GA: An Evans County, Ga., man has been sentenced to two decades in federal prison for distributing cocaine as part of a major drug trafficking network. Tony Deshawn Slater, 52, of Claxton, Ga., was sentenced to 240 months in prison after pleading guilty to Distribution of Cocaine, said Jill...
PRESS RELEASE

Eight Time Prior Drug Felon Sentenced to 300 Months for Armed Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Trafficking

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Fayetteville man was sentenced today to 300 months in prison for running a Fayetteville-based stash house where fentanyl and methamphetamine were sold. On July 25, 2022, Montrel Demon Rhone pled guilty to drug trafficking and firearms charges. “Stemming the flow of illicit fentanyl and the overdose...
PRESS RELEASE

Illegally Armed Methamphetamine Trafficker is Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Today, Brandon Alan Purvis, 44, of Waynesville, N.C., was sentenced to 27 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for trafficking methamphetamine and illegal possession of a firearm, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Robert J. Murphy...
PRESS RELEASE

Fentanyl Distributor Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Causing Death

ORLANDO , Fla . – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger sentenced Anna Parsons (38, Poinciana) to 15 years in federal prison for fentanyl distribution and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Parsons had pleaded guilty on August 29, 2023. According to court documents, at approximately 1:00 a.m. on March...
PRESS RELEASE

Ten Indicted on Federal Charges in Augusta-area Meth-trafficking Operation

AUGUSTA, GA: Ten defendants in the Augusta area have been indicted on federal charges for participating in a major methamphetamine trafficking operation. The defendants in USA v. Walters et al. all are charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine, along with multiple individual charges...