DEA Archived Press Releases

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

Justice Department Sues Stockton-based Nurse Practitioner to Stop Her Sale of Illegal Opioid Prescriptions

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The United States has filed a civil complaint against nurse practitioner Joan Rubinger, registered in Stockton, that alleges a long-running nationwide scheme to sell illegal opioid prescriptions for cash, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris announced. The...
PRESS RELEASE

Madera Pharmacist Sentenced to over 7 Years in Prison for Illegally Trafficking Hundreds of Thousands of Opiate Pills

FRESNO, Calif. — Ifeanyi Vincent Ntukogu, 49, of Fresno, was sentenced today to seven years and three months in prison for illegally distributing oxycodone and hydrocodone. Ntukogu was a pharmacist in Madera who dispensed more than 450,000 oxycodone and hydrocodone pills based on fraudulent prescriptions, all in exchange for cash...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Enters 15th Year of Removing Unneeded Medications from Communities

El Paso – Together with its law enforcement partners, the Drug Enforcement Administration will host its 26th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event aims to remove unneeded prescriptions from homes to help prevent medication misuse by offering anonymous...
PRESS RELEASE

East Bay Doctor Sentenced to Prison for Distributing Opioids Outside the Scope of Medical Practice

OAKLAND, Calif. – Parto Karimi, a former Bay Area doctor, has been sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for distributing powerful opioids outside the scope of medical practice, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), San Francisco Field Division, Special Agent...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Day Removes Almost 600,000 Pounds of Unneeded Prescription Medications Across the Country

El Paso, Texas – On Oct. 28, 2023, the community once again emptied their medicine cabinets to help dispose of old, unwanted, and expired medications. Nationwide, DEA and its law enforcement partners collected 599,897 pounds of unneeded medications at 4,675 collection sites nationwide. Locally, the El Paso Division collected 4,409...
PRESS RELEASE

Drug Enforcement Administration Announces Fall Take Back Day

El Paso, Texas – On Saturday October 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Drug Enforcement Administration and various local agencies will host DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day at locations across the country. DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of...
PRESS RELEASE

CA Attorney General Bonta Announces Arrest of Santa Clara Doctor for Illegal Opioid Prescription Scheme

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the arrest of and filing of charges against Dr. Arash Padidar, a Santa Clara County doctor accused of illegally prescribing opioids to patients. The arrest and charges are the result of an investigation into an alleged two-years-long illegal prescription...
PRESS RELEASE

San Jose Doctor Convicted of Twelve Counts of Illegally Prescribing Opioids

SAN JOSE, Calif. – A federal jury yesterday convicted family medicine physician Donald Siao of twelve counts of distributing the controlled substances Oxycodone and Hydrocodone outside the scope of his usual professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)...
PRESS RELEASE

Santa Rosa Doctor Sentenced to More than Two Years in Prison for Unlawfully Prescribing Fentanyl and Oxycodone

SAN FRANCISCO –Thomas Keller, formerly a pain management doctor in Santa Rosa, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for distributing Schedule II and IV controlled substances outside the scope of his professional practice and without a legitimate medical need, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey, Drug Enforcement...
PRESS RELEASE

Drug Enforcement Administration El Paso Division Announces Spring Take Back Day

El Paso, Texas – The Drug Enforcement Administration has announced the date of its 24th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. On Saturday, April 22, DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. For more than a decade, DEA’s National Prescription Drug...