DEA Archived Press Releases

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

Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Selling Fentanyl That Killed One Woman, Hospitalized Another

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Thursday sentenced a man who sold the fentanyl that killed one woman and sent another to the hospital in one day in 2019 to 14 years in prison. Zachary Hovis, 24, provided fentanyl to an 18-year-old woman in the parking...
PRESS RELEASE

Overdose Deaths Decline, Fentanyl Threat Looms

OMAHA, Neb. – Tis’ the season for holiday travel and family gatherings and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division is encouraging communities across the Midwest to make the most of this time together by continuing conversations on the consequences of drug experimentation and dangers of fentanyl. For the first...
PRESS RELEASE

Illinois Man Sentenced to More Than 23 Years in Prison for Selling Fatal Fentanyl

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a man who sold the fake Percocet pills that killed a man in St. Louis County in 2022 to 23 years and eight months in prison. “I’m going to send a message to other drug dealers,” said Judge...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Billboard in Omaha Looks to Re-Energize Conversations on Fentanyl Dangers

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division is taking the One Pill Can Kill message to new heights with a billboard placed along Interstate 80 in Omaha, emphasizing the deadly consequences of fake pills laced with fentanyl. Vehicles traveling east on Interstate 80 will see the 14x48 foot billboard along...
PRESS RELEASE

Illinois Man Found Guilty of Selling Fatal Fentanyl Pills

ST. LOUIS – A jury Wednesday evening convicted a man from Belleville, Illinois, of a charge related to his sale of fake Percocet pills that killed a man in St. Louis County in 2022. A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis found Deontae’ Tre’Von Overall, 28, guilty of...
PRESS RELEASE

Denver Man Sentenced for Fentanyl, Meth Trafficking, Illegal Firearm

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Denver, Colorado, man was sentenced in federal court today for transporting thousands of fentanyl pills and methamphetamine through Kansas City, Mo., aboard a bus and for illegally possessing a firearm. Ahmad Rashad Rhodes, 45, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Rhodes...
PRESS RELEASE

On National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, DEA Encourages Communities to Continue Education Efforts

OMAHA, Neb. – The five state Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division, which includes Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, is reminding Midwestern communities to continue education efforts that raise awareness to the life-threatening consequences of fentanyl experimentation and use while recognizing National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day...
PRESS RELEASE

Drug Enforcement Administration Recommends Including Conversations on Dangers of Drugs in Back-to-School Routines

OMAHA, Neb. – Students across Nebraska are returning to school this month and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division is reminding families to make time for conversations about the unintended consequences of drug experimentation before kids head out the door for a new year of learning. Fentanyl and methamphetamine...
PRESS RELEASE

Ohio Man Sentenced to 65 Months in Prison for Swapping Fentanyl, Cash for Counterfeit Pills

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Thursday sentenced an Ohio man who arranged to buy 200,000 counterfeit pills to five years and five months in prison. On June 27, 2021, Matthew Prunty, 31, of the Dayton area, sent another man to exchange $46,000 and 2,000 pills...
PRESS RELEASE

Northwest Missouri Fentanyl Distributor Sentenced

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Newtown, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in conspiracies to distribute fentanyl in northwest Missouri and to wire the proceeds of drug trafficking to Mexico. Lucas Ryan Coltrain, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to nine...