DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
972 Results - Showing 361 to 370
PRESS RELEASE

Dark Web Trafficker Pleads Guilty to Distributing Opioids

ALEXANDRIA, Va., – A Florida man pleaded guilty today to unlawfully distributing thousands of prescription opioid pills in exchange for over half a million dollars through the “dark web.” According to court documents, between 2012 and 2020, Daren James Reid, 35, of Fort Lauderdale, used the dark web to distribute...
PRESS RELEASE

5 Sinaloa Cartel Members plead guily to trafficking charges in Operation Cookout

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The mastermind behind an extensive drug trafficking ring entered a guilty plea this week, and four other defendants either entered pleas or were sentenced recently to substantial terms in prison for distributing large amounts of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in Newport News and North Carolina. “This...
PRESS RELEASE

Former Roanoke pharmacist sentenced for tampering with powerful narcotics

ROANOKE, Va. – Bryan Wade Lewis, a former pharmacist at Home Choice Partners in Roanoke, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court for tampering with a consumer product, hydromorphone, that affected interstate commerce. Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA's Washington Division and Acting United States Attorney Daniel...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA honors federal prosecutors for exemplary work in drug-related cases

SAN DIEGO – The Drug Enforcement Administration San Diego Field Division presented awards to several federal prosecutors for their exemplary service and dedication to DEA’s mission in San Diego and the surrounding counties. “It was an honor and a privilege to recognize these Assistant U.S. Attorneys along with U.S. Attorney...
PRESS RELEASE

New Hampshire businessman pleads guilty to spice distribution & fatal overdose

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Seabrook, New Hampshire man pleaded guilty today to his role in a nationwide conspiracy to distribute synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known as “spice” or “K2.” According to court documents, William Walsh, 56, operated two shops in Seabrook—“Up N Smoke” and “The Smoking Monkey”—from which he sold retail...
PRESS RELEASE

Three Men Plead Guilty to Smuggling Nearly 1,500 Kilos of Cocaine

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Three Colombian nationals pleaded guilty today to possessing with the intent to distribute nearly 1,500 kilograms of cocaine when they were interdicted in an unregistered vessel on the Pacific Ocean. According to court documents, on August 6, 2020, Eliovar Pineda, 45, Jenuar Angulo, 40, and Marcial...
PRESS RELEASE

Man Sentenced for Multimillion-Dollar Cross-Country Cocaine Conspiracy

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Camp Springs, Maryland man was sentenced today to 140 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, which led to the seizure of over $1 million in cash, approximately 45 kilograms of cocaine, over $240,000 worth of jewelry, four firearms, and...
PRESS RELEASE

Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Dealing Fatal Doses of Fentanyl-laced Heroin

HARRISONBURG, Va.- A Front Royal, Virginia man, who in the fall of 2017 distributed two fatal, fentanyl-laced doses of heroin, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Harrisonburg to a drug charge that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison, and the possibility of a life...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Announces Expansion of Operation Crystal Shield

WASHINGTON – Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea announced the expansion of Operation Crystal Shield. This expansion includes the designation of two additional methamphetamine “transportation hubs” in 2021. Through this effort, DEA is attacking the entire supply chain, locating and seizing meth shipments before they are broken down...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA and SAMHSA announce winners of Red Ribbon Week campus video Public Service Announcement contest

WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration named North Dakota State College of Science, and the University of Miami winners of the 5th Annual Red Ribbon Week Campus Video PSA Contest. The contest, co-sponsored by DEA and SAMHSA, was part of the...