DEA Archived Press Releases

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

Mom Pleads Guilty to Providing Fentanyl That Killed Her Sons’ Father

Dallas, TX - An Albuquerque mother who concealed a deadly dose of fentanyl inside her children’s luggage pleaded guilty yesterday to a federal drug crime. Magdalena Silva Banuelos, 47, was indicted in November 2022. She pleaded guilty Wednesday to distribution of fentanyl before U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn. In...
PRESS RELEASE

Fentanyl Distributer Tied to 13-Year-Old’s Overdose Death Pleads Guilty

DALLAS, TX - A drug distributer who was selling fentanyl-laced counterfeit M30 pills to a Carrollton middle schooler shortly before her fatal overdose pleaded guilty today to a federal drug crime, announced Eduardo A. Chávez, Special Agent in Charge of DEA Dallas Rafael Soliz, Jr., 23, was indicted in March...
PRESS RELEASE

Fentanyl Dealers Plead Guilty in Relation to Overdose Death of Oklahoma Man

DALLAS, TX - A Wichita Falls drug dealer and his ex-girlfriend who sold fentanyl to 27-year-old man who overdosed and died in June 2020 have plead guilty to drug crimes, announced Eduardo A. Chavez, Special Agent in Charge of DEA Dallas. Lionel DeSaun Henderson, 33, and his former girlfriend, Shameka...
PRESS RELEASE

Meth Dealers Who Plotted to Kill DEA Agent Plead Guilty

DALLAS - Two drug traffickers who plotted to assassinate a DEA task force office have plead guilty, announced Eduardo A. Chávez, Special Agent in Charge of Dallas Field Division Manuel Gomez-Garcia, 35, and Jorge Humberto Velazco Larios, 29, were indicted in the summer of 2020. Mr. Gomez pleaded guilty to...
PRESS RELEASE

Panamanian National Guilty of East Texas Drug Trafficking Violations

DALLAS, TX – A Panamanian national has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking violations during his federal trial in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Eduardo A. Chávez, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Dallas Field Division. Jorge Albeiro Silva-Salazar, 53, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute five...
PRESS RELEASE

Heroin Trafficker Who Fled Controlled Delivery sentenced to 14 Years

DALLAS - A heroin trafficker who fled the scene of a controlled delivery has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison, announced DEA Special Agent in Charge Eduardo A. Chávez Frank Alex Juarez, 22, of Terrell, Texas, pleaded guilty in July to possession with intent to distribute heroin. He...
PRESS RELEASE

UT Southwestern to Pay $4.5 Million to Resolve Alleged Controlled Substance Act Violations That Permitted Drug Diversion by Staff

Dallas - The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has agreed to pay $4.5 million to resolve allegations that its violations of the Controlled Substances Act allowed hospital staff to divert fentanyl and other dangerous drugs from the hospital, announced DEA Dallas Special Agent in Charge, Eduardo A. Chávez. The...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Holds National Prescription Drug Take Back Day to Turn the Tide Against the U.S. Opioid Epidemic

DALLAS– The Drug Enforcement Administration will host its 21st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event offers free and anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 local drop-off locations nationwide. According to a report published by the...
PRESS RELEASE

Lubbock Drug Traffickers Sentenced to Combined 106 Years in Federal Prison

LUBBOCK, TX - A dozen Lubbock drug traffickers have been sentenced to a combined 106 years in federal prison. The defendants were arrested during a DEA operation called Los Perros De Nieve (“Operation Snow Dogs”), which also resulted in the seizure of multiple kilograms of cocaine, more than a dozen...
PRESS RELEASE

National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action Results in Charges Involving over $1.4 Billion in Alleged Losses

DALLAS – The Department of Justice announced today criminal charges against 138 defendants, including 42 doctors, nurses, and other licensed medical professionals, in 31 federal districts across the United States, for their alleged participation in various healthcare fraud schemes that resulted in approximately $1.4 billion in alleged losses. The charges...