DEA Archived Press Releases

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

Five Indicted for Drug Trafficking in “The Jungle” and Seattle’s International District

SEATTLE – Five Seattle-area men are in custody following a grand jury indictment for their drug trafficking activity in Seattle’s homeless encampments and International District, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. The men are charged federally and have made their initial appearances over the last few days. “We are all...
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

Drug Trafficker Who Assisted Stepson with Trafficking Ring Tied to Aryan Prison Gangs Sentenced to Over Six Years in Prison

Tacoma – A 66-year-old Tacoma man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 75 months in prison for his leadership role in a drug distribution ring tied to the white supremacist Aryan Family prison gang, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Ronnie Griffin is the stepfather of...
PRESS RELEASE

Combined Federal and State Investigation in Idaho Leads to Arrests in Large-Scale Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

BOISE, Idaho – A large-scale Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation has resulted in the federal indictments of ten Magic Valley defendants on drug trafficking charges. An additional ten defendants have been charged in Idaho state courts for their actions connected to the conspiracy. “DEA stands with...
PRESS RELEASE

Year-Long Wiretap Investigation Results in Four Arrests and Kilogram Seizures of Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, Heroin, and Cocaine

SEATTLE – Law enforcement teams from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Seattle Police Department and IRS Criminal Investigation executed 24 search or arrest warrants taking four people into custody who are allegedly connected to a drug trafficking conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. The drug conspirators have ties to...
PRESS RELEASE

Thirteen People Indicted in Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Involving Fentanyl, Meth, and Cocaine

SEATTLE– Thirteen people indicted in a significant drug trafficking investigation are being sought by law enforcement with 10 of them in custody tonight, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. The defendants are named in three different indictments for a drug trafficking scheme. Two additional defendants were arrested today on criminal...
PRESS RELEASE

Monroe, Washington, Resident Convicted for Role in Wide-Ranging Drug Trafficking Ring

Seattle – A 42-year-old Monroe, Washington resident was convicted today in U.S. District Court in Seattle of Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances following a week-long jury trial, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Humberto Garcia was arrested in December 2020 with seven other defendants tied to a drug trafficking ring...
PRESS RELEASE

Thirty-Four Individuals Indicted in Eastern Washington

YAKIMA, Wash. – United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref announced today that twenty-eight people are in state or federal custody following the return of six separate indictments alleging more than two dozen charges against thirty-four separate defendants. The arrests follow a long-term joint federal and state investigation led by the...
PRESS RELEASE

Idaho Falls Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute 11,000 Fentanyl Pills

BOISE, Idaho– Patricia Gomez, 42, of Idaho Falls, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today. In imposing the sentence, U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford ordered that Gomez serve three years of supervised release after her...
PRESS RELEASE

Elderly Eastern Oregon Couple Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Meth in Idaho

BOISE, Idaho – Efren Avilez-Lopez, 81, and Maria Medina-Zeveda, 70, husband and wife, and both Mexican nationals illegally living in Ontario, Oregon, were sentenced for trafficking large amounts of methamphetamine in Idaho, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today. On February 12, 2024, Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye sentenced...