DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
1160 Results - Showing 491 to 500
PRESS RELEASE

Orlando large-scale drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years in federal prison

ORLANDO, Fla. - Sebastian Denton Zayas, age 30, of Orlando was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. Denton pleaded guilty on July 22, 2019. According to court documents and statements made during today’s sentencing hearing, in May 2019...
PRESS RELEASE

First Lady Melania Trump kicks off National Red Ribbon Week with DEA

WASHINGTON – First Lady Melania Trump today joined DEA Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon to celebrate the official launch of the 2019 Red Ribbon campaign, dedicated to preserving the memory of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena – a DEA special agent who was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered in Mexico by...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA and FDA warn website operators illegally offering opioids for sale

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have issued warning letters to four website owners of rogue online pharmacies offering to distribute or dispense controlled substances, including opioids, and advertising their sale in violation of federal law. This is the first time the...
PRESS RELEASE

Two men sentenced on Lake County heroin charge

OCALA, Fla. - Cesar Osiris DeLeon-Castillo, age 36, of Clermont, and Jefry Agustin Valerio-Perez, age 39, of Orlando, were sentenced to five years and four years and nine months in federal prison, respectively, for possession with the intent to distribute one kilogram of heroin. DeLeon-Castillo and Valerio-Perez pleaded guilty in...
PRESS RELEASE

St. Petersburg man sentenced for distribution of synthetic opioid

TAMPA, Fla. – Mario Marquez Roberson, age 28, of St. Petersburg was sentenced today to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for distribution of 4-flouroisobutyrl fentanyl, a synthetic opioid. Roberson had pleaded guilty on April 2, 2019. According to court documents, Roberson engaged in six transactions with an...
PRESS RELEASE

Five Walton County residents face drug trafficking charges

PENSACOLA, Fla – A federal grand jury returned an indictment, charging five defendants with federal drug trafficking offenses. The defendants are: • Kadeem Ingram, 29, DeFuniak Springs, Florida; • Kenneth Ingram, 59, DeFuniak Springs, Florida; • Terrell Burdette, 63, DeFuniak Springs, Florida; • Sidney McGhee, 30, DeFuniak Springs, Florida; and...
PRESS RELEASE

Two medical doctors charged with acquiring controlled substances by fraud and identity theft

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Robert Patrick Jensen, 49, and Michael T. Harris, 44, both of Gulf Breeze, Florida, appeared in federal court this week for their initial appearances after they were indicted by a federal grand jury in Pensacola on charges of acquiring controlled substances by fraud and identity theft. The...
PRESS RELEASE

Opioid enforcement action brings multiple charges across the Middle District of Florida

TAMPA, Fla. - A significant opioid enforcement operation across the Middle District of Florida was executed involving charges against five individuals for their alleged involvement in various conspiracies to illicitly obtain and distribute oxycodone and other controlled substances. Those charged are the following: United States v. Hong Truong Hong Truong...
PRESS RELEASE

Armed meth dealer sentenced to more than 20 years

TAMPA, Fla. – Jonathan Budowski, 48, of Brooksville, a/k/a “Hard Times” was sentenced to 20 years and 8 months in federal prison for his role in selling multiple kilograms of methamphetamine as part of a drug trafficking conspiracy, while maintaining an arsenal of firearms and ammunition to protect his drug...
PRESS RELEASE

Tampa woman charged with distributing

TAMPA, Fla. - Heidi Kalous, 39, of Dunedin was charged by indictment today, with conspiring to distribute a substance that contained a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, and distributing a substance that contained a mixture of heroin, fentanyl, and acetyl fentanyl, causing death. If convicted, Kalous faces a minimum mandatory...