DEA Archived Press Releases

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

Jury Convicts Missouri Man of Meth Trafficking, Illegal Firearms

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Portageville, Mo., man has been convicted in a jury trial of trafficking methamphetamine and illegally possessing firearms. Michael C. Patton, 36, was found guilty on Tuesday, Jan. 14, of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and being...
PRESS RELEASE

Man Indicted after DEA Seizes Large Quantities of Drugs, Weapons

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Raytown, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today after federal agents found large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin in his residence along with several firearms. Jauan D. Pratt, 30, was charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury...
PRESS RELEASE

Defendant Pleads Guilty of Fentanyl Distribution

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing more than a kilogram of fentanyl and 14 firearms. Proevine Lennox Robins, 51, pleaded guilty to one count possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of...
PRESS RELEASE

Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Death Resulting from Gun Crimes

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis County man to 15 years in prison after finding by a preponderance of the evidence that he used an illegally-acquired pistol to kill his pregnant girlfriend in 2017. Darius Carter, 30, was found guilty after...
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

15 Defendants Indicted for Meth and Fentanyl Trafficking

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Fifteen more defendants have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a drug-trafficking conspiracy after law enforcement officers seized 100 pounds of methamphetamine and a kilogram of fentanyl pills hidden in a vehicle being transported from San Bernadino, Cal. to Springfield, Mo. Stevie...
PRESS RELEASE

Gun-toting Meth Dealers Sentenced

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An Ozark, Mo., man and a Springfield, Mo., man have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Robert Jason Smith, 48, of Ozark, was sentenced today to 25 years in federal prison without parole. Smith was sentenced as a career...
PRESS RELEASE

Sheriff’s Deputies Allegedly Tipped Off DEA Target

Two sheriff’s deputies who allegedly tipped off a drug trafficker about an impending DEA raid are being federally prosecuted, announced DEA Special Agent in Charge Towanda R. Thorne-James, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda. Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office...
PRESS RELEASE

12 Kansas City-Area Men Indicted for Fentanyl Trafficking, Illegal Firearms

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A dozen Kansas City metropolitan area men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, which resulted in at least one death, and to illegally possessing firearms. Justin D. Rivera, also known as “JD,” 20, Yael Figueroa...
PRESS RELEASE

Shipment of Meth and Cocaine Leads to Prison for St. Louis Man

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Friday sentenced a man who was caught by police after a shipment of 15 pounds of methamphetamine and four and one-half pounds of cocaine was intercepted to 11 years and two months in prison. On March 24, 2022, Damon L...