DEA Archived Press Releases

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

This Holiday Season Talk to Your Loved Ones About Fentanyl

SEATTLE- This holiday season, full of travel and family gatherings, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Seattle Division is urging communities across the Pacific Northwest to make the most of this time together by having conversations about the dangers of fentanyl. Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our nation has ever...
PRESS RELEASE

Fourteen Indicted in Multi-State Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Linked to Deadly Fentanyl Distributed to Members of the Lummi Nation in Washington

SEATTLE – Law enforcement fanned out across the country and in western Washington yesterday arresting 17 people on indictments and criminal complaints for a multi- state drug trafficking conspiracy. The two-year investigation alleges that the trafficking ring has been linked to a fatal fentanyl overdose on the Lummi Nation reservation...
PRESS RELEASE

Organized Drug Crime Ring Attempted to Flood Alaskan Villages with Fentanyl, 54 Indicted

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The U.S Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska announced today that 54 people have been charged through nine indictments in connection with a large-scale organized crime ring operating within the state of Alaska. U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska, Assistant Special Agent...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Hosts 25th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

SEATTLE, Wash. – The Drug Enforcement Administration Seattle Field Division and its partners will host the 25th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event offers an easy, no-cost opportunity for the community to anonymously dispose of unneeded medications at...
PRESS RELEASE

Drug Trafficking Ringleader, Who Hid Huge Amounts of Drugs and Cash in Arlington, Sentenced to 15 Years

Seattle – The leader of a violent, prolific drug trafficking ring was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 15 years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Cesar Valdez-Sanudo, 36, pleaded guilty in June 2022 to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to commit money laundering and...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Participates in Alaska HIDTA Initiative Save a Life Campaign

ANCHORAGE– The Drug Enforcement Administration is participating in an advertising campaign launched by the Alaska High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) initiative. The Save a Life campaign is designed to help communities partner with law enforcement in the fight against drug trafficking and to help prevent drug overdoses in Alaska...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Seattle Field Division Joins with Families to Increase Awareness about the Dangers of Fentanyl

SEATTLE– This week the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hosted regional family summits across the country in support of those who have lost loved ones to fentanyl poisoning. The DEA Seattle Field Division invited families from Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Idaho to the Family Summit held in Seattle on November 15th...
PRESS RELEASE

Federal Law Enforcement Officials Warn of "Rainbow Fentanyl" Appearing in Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore.—With at least two notable seizures in the last several days in the Portland Metropolitan Area, officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration are warning Oregonians to be on the lookout for “rainbow fentanyl,” a brightly-colored version of the highly-toxic...
PRESS RELEASE

Monroe Father and Son Sentenced to Prison for Money Laundering and Illegal Marijuana Business

Seattle – A father and son who ran a multimillion-dollar illegal marijuana business in Monroe, Washington, were each sentenced to five-year prison terms today, on drug and money laundering charges. Kenneth Warren Rhule, 28, was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana and laundering...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Recognizes First Ever National Fentanyl Awareness Day

SEATTLE– In an effort to save lives, DEA is proud to join “Song for Charlie” and many of our valued public health, non-profit, and law enforcement partners in recognizing the first ever National Fentanyl Awareness Day. This day is an effort to educate individuals around the dangerous threat that fentanyl...