DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
9 Results - Showing 1 to 9
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Issues Public Safety Alert on Sharp Increase in Fake Prescription Pills Containing Fentanyl and Meth

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a Public Safety Alert warning Americans of the alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. DEA’s Public Safety Alert, the first in six years, seeks to raise public awareness of a significant nationwide...
PRESS RELEASE

Pill distributor and executives, pharmacists charged with unlawfully distributing painkillers

CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged a pharmaceutical distributor, two of its former officials and two pharmacists with conspiring to distribute controlled substances in an indictment returned here yesterday. Four individuals have been charged, including Miami-Luken’s former president and compliance officer and two West Virginia pharmacists. Those charged...
PRESS RELEASE

ARPO Strike Force charges involve more than 350,000 prescriptions for controlled substances and more than 32 million pills

CINCINATTI – Attorney General William P. Barr and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II, together with multiple law enforcement partners, announced enforcement actions involving 60 charged defendants across 11 federal districts, including 31 doctors, seven pharmacists, eight nurse practitioners and seven other licensed medical professionals...
PRESS RELEASE

Former Oakland County reserved deputy sentenced for unlawful distribution of opioids

DETROIT – A former Oakland County reserve deputy sheriff will spend 49 months in prison for the unlawful distribution of prescription opioids, U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider announced today. Joining Schneider in the announcement was DEA Detroit Division Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. Plancon and FBI Detroit Division Special Agent...
PRESS RELEASE

Six individuals indicted in $48 million health care fraud conspiracy at drug rehabilitation centers in Northern Ohio

CLEVELAND- Six people from Ohio were indicted in federal court for their roles in a health care fraud conspiracy in which Medicaid was billed $48 million for drug and alcohol recovery services which were not provided, not medically necessary, lacked proper documentation, or had other issues that made them ineligible...
PRESS RELEASE

Houston physician and pain management clinic owner sentenced to 35 years each for running pill mill

HOUSTON – A Houston physician and the owner of a pain management clinic were each sentenced to 420 months in prison today for their roles in running a pill mill that provided tens of thousands of unlawful prescriptions for millions of doses of opioids and other controlled substances. Special Agent...
PRESS RELEASE

Record settlement reached in University of Michigan hospital drug diversion civil penalty case

DETROIT - The Drug Enforcement Administration and United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan today announced that the University of Michigan Health System has agreed to pay the United States $4.3 million as part of a settlement resolving allegations that UMHS violated certain provisions of the Controlled...
PRESS RELEASE

Dayton doctor sentenced for running pill mill

DAYTON, Ohio – David Kirkwood, 62, of Dayton, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 70 months in prison and five years of supervised release for running a pill mill in Dayton. In August 2017, Kirkwood and his wife, Beverly Kirkwood, pleaded guilty to health care fraud. David Kirkwood...
PRESS RELEASE

Chinese drug traffickers charged in fatal opioid conspiracy

CLEVELAND - While in Cleveland, Ohio, Attorney General Jeff Sessions today announced the unsealing of a 43-count indictment in federal court in Cleveland, which charges two Chinese citizens with operating a conspiracy that manufactured and shipped deadly fentanyl analogues and 250 other drugs to at least 25 countries and 37...