United States Drug Enforcement Administration

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is announcing three new rules to make permanent some temporary telemedicine flexibilities established during the COVID-19 public health emergency while also establishing new patient protections. In developing these rules, DEA has focused on the patient to ensure telemedicine is accessible for medical care...

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...

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...

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...

WASHINGTON – Operation OD Justice is a DEA initiative born out of a critical need to investigate drug poisoning and overdose deaths across the U.S. The initiative, launched in 2021 by DEA’s Los Angeles and San Diego Field Divisions, offers training, resources, and poisoning response coordinators to assist State and...

From November 12-13, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), along with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) participated in the tenth Bilateral Drug Intelligence Working Group in Shanghai, China. DOJ, DEA, and CBP officials met with law enforcement counterparts from China’s Ministry of...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration hosted the third annual National Family Summit on Fentanyl on November 14 and 15. For the past three years, DEA has invited families who have lost a loved one to a fentanyl drug poisoning or overdose to gather in the nation’s capital and...

WASHINGTON – On Oct. 26, DEA and over 4,400 law enforcement partners collected nearly 630,000 pounds of unused medications at 4,600 locations nationwide. This effort to empty medicine cabinets helps to prevent drug misuse before it starts. Since its inception, DEA’s National Prescription Take Back Day has removed nearly 19.2...

WASHINGTON, DC – The Drug Enforcement Administration, in collaboration with more than 4,000 law enforcement partners across the country, will host the 27th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, October 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day encourages the safe and anonymous...

WASHINGTON – Eight China-based chemical companies and eight employees have been charged in the Middle District of Florida with federal crimes including attempted distribution of synthetic opioids and precursor chemicals used in the production of fentanyl. Five of the indictments also charge defendants with money laundering. “Today, the Justice Department...