United States Drug Enforcement Administration

CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged a pharmaceutical distributor, two of its former officials and two pharmacists with conspiring to distribute controlled substances in an indictment returned here yesterday. Four individuals have been charged, including Miami-Luken’s former president and compliance officer and two West Virginia pharmacists. Those charged...

WASHINGTON – Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, known by various aliases, including “El Chapo” and “El Rapido,” was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan to a life term of imprisonment plus 30 years to run consecutive to the life sentence for being a principal leader of a continuing...

SAN DIEGO – April Spring Kelly admitted in federal court today that she smuggled more than 450,000 fentanyl pills from Mexico into the United States during a nine-month conspiracy from February to October of 2018. According to admissions in her plea agreement, Kelly smuggled the fentanyl pills through ports of...

CORONADO , Calif. – On July 11, 2019, Vice President Mike Pence, Office of National Drug Control Policy Director James W. Carroll, Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon, and Vice Admiral Linda Fagan, commander of Coast Guard Pacific Area, attended a United States Coast Guard drug offload at Naval...

BOSTON – DEA New England Division Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle, DEA Regional Director for Europe Kevin M. Scully and United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Andrew E. Lelling today announced the addition of fugitives Mihael Karner, Alenka Karner and Matevz Karner to the U.S. Department...

WASHINGTON – A former Venezuelan government minister and a former officer at Venezuela’s state-owned and state-controlled electricity company, Corporación Eléctrica Nacional, S.A. (Corpoelec), were charged in an indictment returned today for their alleged roles in laundering the proceeds of violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in connection with...

WASHINGTON - DEA Assistant Administrator, Diversion Control Division John Martin recently hosted a collaborative conference in Washington, D.C. with industry leaders representing the prescription drug supply chain in America. The purpose of their dialogue was to discuss ways to minimize pharmaceutical diversion while maintaining legitimate commerce and patient access. “DEA...

NEW YORK – DEA Special Operations Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher T. Tersigni, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey S. Berman and United States Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced that Moazu Kromah, aka “Ayoub,” aka “Ayuba,” aka “Kampala Man;” Amara Cherif, aka...

SAN DIEGO – Willian Estuardo Lemus Lara, a suspected high-level cartel boss from Central America, was arraigned in federal court today on maritime cocaine trafficking charges. According to the documents filed in court, Lemus was the manager of the transportation and distribution cell responsible for facilitating multi-ton quantity cocaine loads...

LEMON GROVE, Calif. – Yesterday the United States Drug Enforcement Administration executed a federal search warrant at a warehouse located at 7648 Lemon Avenue, Lemon Grove, Calif., and uncovered a sophisticated hash oil refinery laboratory operation. Large quantities of ethanol were removed from the property by San Diego County HAZMAT...