DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
214 Results - Showing 161 to 170
PRESS RELEASE

Former Washington State Correctional Officer Sentenced to 46-Months in Federal Prison

RICHLAND, Wash. – Eric Christian, age 34, of Kennewick, Washington, was sentenced to serve 46-months in federal prison for conspiring with inmates of the Benton County Jail to smuggle contraband into the jail in exchange for money. Christian, who pled guilty in December 2021 to Conspiracy to Provide Prohibited Objects...
PRESS RELEASE

Boise Man Sentenced to Over 14.5 Years in Prison for Federal Gun and Drug Charges

BOISE, Idaho – A Boise man was sentenced to 175 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and the unlawful possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced. According to court records, on November 12, 2021, law enforcement attempted to conduct a traffic stop on...
PRESS RELEASE

Leader of Drug Distribution Organization Sentenced to Ten Years

SEATTLE – The drug supplier to multiple members of a drug trafficking group distributing fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine throughout the Puget Sound region was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to ten years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Rodrigo Alvarez-Quinonez, 31, of Selma, California, was...
PRESS RELEASE

Spokane Man Sentenced to More Than 16 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

SPOKANE, Wash.– United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Bradley Dale Hull, age 55, of Spokane, Washington, to 200 months in federal prison. Hull was convicted by a jury on May 18, 2022 of Possession with Intent to Distribute 100 Grams or More of a Mixture or Substance Containing...
PRESS RELEASE

Yakima Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

SPOKANE, Wash. – Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Michael Ryan Shoemaker, 35, of Yakima, Washington, was sentenced in federal court in Yakima for Distribution of Fifty Grams or More of Pure (Actual) Methamphetamine. Chief United States District Judge Stanley...
PRESS RELEASE

California Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Meth into Southern Oregon

MEDFORD, Ore.—On September 7, 2022, a San Diego, California man was sentenced to federal prison for trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine from Southern California to Southern Oregon for redistribution and sale. Martin Jesus Velasco, 39, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release. According...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Warns of Brightly-Colored Fentanyl Used to Target Young Americans

SEATTLE, Wash. – he Drug Enforcement Administration is advising the public of an alarming emerging trend of colorful fentanyl available across the United States. In August 2022, DEA and our law enforcement partners seized brightly-colored fentanyl and fentanyl pills in 26 states. Dubbed “rainbow fentanyl” in the media, this trend...
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

Leader of International Drug Trafficking Organization Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges

SEATTLE, Wash. – One of the leaders of a violent international drug trafficking organization that distributed heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine in the Puget Sound region pleaded guilty Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Jose Elias Barbosa, 37, of Kent, Washington, faces a mandatory minimum ten years in prison...
PRESS RELEASE

Idaho Man Sentenced to 138 months Imprisonment for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Sean Robert Wathen, 50, was sentenced in United States District Court for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill sentenced Wathen to 138 months in prison and ordered him to serve an additional five years of supervised release. According to court records and...