DEA Archived Press Releases

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

U.S. Attorney's Office Secures Guilty Pleas in Albuquerque Fentanyl Case

ALBUQUERQUE – Two Albuquerque drug dealers pleaded guilty to federal charges after attempting to sell 30,000 fentanyl pills, containing approximately 3,200 grams of the drug, to an undercover law enforcement agent. According to court documents, on December 6, 2023, Miguel Antonio Ramirez, 23, and Isaiah Anthony Aragon, 24, conspired to...
PRESS RELEASE

San Diego Man Pleads Guilty to Supplying Fentanyl that Resulted in Deaths of Two in North Park Home

SAN DIEGO –Scott Anthony Sargent of San Diego pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he supplied the fentanyl that caused the fatal overdoses of a 40-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man in North Park in 2022. San Diego Police officers, along with investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s...
PRESS RELEASE

Trafficker Sentenced to 19.5 Years in Prison for Supplying Weapons and Ammunition to Sinaloa Cartel

SAN DIEGO – Keith Octavio Rodriguez Padilla, a prolific firearms trafficker, was sentenced in federal court today to 19.5 years in custody for his role in supplying weapons and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition to the Sinaloa Cartel. This case is part of a long-running investigation targeting the...
PRESS RELEASE

Defendant Admits Role in Fatal Fentanyl Overdose of Carlsbad Woman

San Diego – Bryan Kim Bullard pleaded guilty in federal court today to distributing the fentanyl that resulted in the death of a 25-year-old Carlsbad woman. According to the plea agreement, on September 9, 2023, Bullard’s co-defendant, Cameron William Fulston, reached out to the victim, identified in court records as...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Hosts Local and State Agencies at the El Paso Intelligence Center 2024 Law Enforcement Partners Summit

El Paso, Texas – Today, as part of the 50th anniversary of the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hosted various local and state law enforcement agencies as part of the EPIC 2024 Law Enforcement Summit. These agencies, who came from various communities across the country...
PRESS RELEASE

Communities Nationwide Turn In Nearly 630,000 Pounds of Unneeded Medications on DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

El Paso, Texas – On Oct. 26, DEA and over 4,400 law enforcement partners collected nearly 630,000 pounds of unused medications at 4,600 locations nationwide. The El Paso Division collected 1,657 pounds in West Texas and 3,393 pounds in New Mexico. This effort to empty medicine cabinets helps to prevent...
PRESS RELEASE

U.S. Attorney's Office, DEA and HSI Announce Charges Against Fourteen Individuals in Major Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

ALBUQUERQUE – This week, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Marshal Service, the Las Cruces Police Department, and the Doña Ana Sheriff’s Office, conducted a coordinated operation to dismantle a significant drug trafficking network in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The operation targeted 15...
PRESS RELEASE

U.S. Attorney's Office and DEA Announce Federal Charges Against Albuquerque Based Drug Trafficking Organization

ALBUQUERQUE – Five members of a drug trafficking organization based in Albuquerque have been charged in federal court with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. Tomas Rubalcaba, 45, Joaquin Rubalcada, 40, and Humberto Gastelum, 65, appeared before a federal judge last week and will remain in custody pending...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA El Paso SAC Thorne-James to address local media

WHEN: Thursday October 24 at 10 a.m. MST. WHERE: Federal Justice Building, DEA Training Room Second Floor, 660 S. Mesa Hills Dr., El Paso TX 79912 WHAT: DEA Special Agent in Charge Towanda R. Thorne-James will discuss why the star on the mountain will shine red October 23-31. WHO: DEA...
PRESS RELEASE

El Paso Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Dealing Fentanyl, Causing Death

EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso man was sentenced in federal court to 180 months in prison for distribution of fentanyl, causing death or serious bodily injury. According to court documents, Adrian David Perez Jr., 21, sold counterfeit M-30 pills laced with fentanyl to an individual on Oct. 13...