United States Drug Enforcement Administration

WASHINGTON - The United States Drug Enforcement (DEA) today issued a nationwide alert about the dangers of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues/compounds. Fentanyl is commonly laced in heroin, causing significant problems across the country, particularly as heroin abuse has increased. This alert was issued through the multi-agency El Paso Intelligence (EPIC)...

McALLEN, Texas - Jose Urbano Cortinas, 29, has been ordered to prison for nearly 23 years following his conviction of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, announced Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Arabit, Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Cortinas, of Memphis...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Jose Luis Zuniga-Hernandez, 47, aka Wicho or XW or Commandante Wicho, has been ordered to federal prison along with his brother Armando Arizmendi Hernandez, 37, aka Commandante Mando or XW2 for conspiracy to import more than five kilograms of cocaine and more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana...

LAREDO, Texas - Seven people were sentenced this week for their roles in a drug conspiracy involving the shipment of cocaine and methamphetamine from Laredo to Dallas and Houston, announced Drug Enforcement (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Arabit, Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. U.S. District Court...

WASHINGTON - DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart today issued the following statement on the arrest in Mexico of Zetas leader Omar Trevino Morales: "The Drug Enforcement Administration proudly congratulates the Government of Mexico and their leadership in the arrest of Omar Trevino Morales, head of the Zetas cartel. The Zetas...

WASHINGTON - DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart today issued the following statement in response to the capture of Knights Templar Cartel Leader Servando Gomez-Martinez, a.k.a. “La Tuta” by the Mexican Federal Police: "The arrest of Servando Gomez-Martinez, a.k.a. "La Tuta," is another win for Mexico in the fight against brutal...

KERRVILLE, Texas - Dr. Richard B. Debenedetto, of Kerville, TX, has been sentenced to six years imprisonment in a Texas State Correctional Facility for prescribing a controlled substance with no legitimate medical purpose, announced Drug Enforcement (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. (Houston Division), Kerr County District Attorney E...

LAREDO, Texas - A total of 12 drug traffickers have been handed federal prison sentences for their convictions related to a far-reaching drug trafficking conspiracy, announced Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Arabit, Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Edgar Loera and Miguel Angel Vives-Macias were...

LAREDO, Texas - A federal indictment has been partially unsealed following the arrest of 17 defendants in the Laredo and Dallas areas on charges related to a long-term investigation into a drug and money laundering conspiracy, announced Drug Enforcement (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Arabit, Houston Division and...

BEAUMONT, Texas - A 40-year-old Nederland, Texas man has been sentenced to life in federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Arabit, Houston Division and U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today. Stephen Shane Hall, also...