DEA Archived Press Releases

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

Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Selling Fentanyl That Killed One Woman, Hospitalized Another

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Thursday sentenced a man who sold the fentanyl that killed one woman and sent another to the hospital in one day in 2019 to 14 years in prison. Zachary Hovis, 24, provided fentanyl to an 18-year-old woman in the parking...
PRESS RELEASE

Illinois Man Sentenced to More Than 23 Years in Prison for Selling Fatal Fentanyl

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a man who sold the fake Percocet pills that killed a man in St. Louis County in 2022 to 23 years and eight months in prison. “I’m going to send a message to other drug dealers,” said Judge...
PRESS RELEASE

Beaumont Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl

BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont man has been sentenced to federal prison for possessing fentanyl for distribution in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs. Harry Francis Lowenthal, 66, pleaded...
PRESS RELEASE

Humble Resident Arrested in Connection to Fatal Fentanyl Overdose

HOUSTON – A 22-year-old man has been taken into custody in connection to the fentanyl overdose death of a Houston resident, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Law enforcement arrested Cole Martin Millsap Oct. 23. He is set to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Hanovice Palermo...
PRESS RELEASE

Jefferson County Man Guilty of Trafficking Fentanyl

BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont man has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs. Carl Wayne Hite, Jr., 40, pleaded guilty to...
PRESS RELEASE

Illinois Man Found Guilty of Selling Fatal Fentanyl Pills

ST. LOUIS – A jury Wednesday evening convicted a man from Belleville, Illinois, of a charge related to his sale of fake Percocet pills that killed a man in St. Louis County in 2022. A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis found Deontae’ Tre’Von Overall, 28, guilty of...
PRESS RELEASE

Denver Man Sentenced for Fentanyl, Meth Trafficking, Illegal Firearm

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Denver, Colorado, man was sentenced in federal court today for transporting thousands of fentanyl pills and methamphetamine through Kansas City, Mo., aboard a bus and for illegally possessing a firearm. Ahmad Rashad Rhodes, 45, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Rhodes...
PRESS RELEASE

Laredo Resident Charged with Selling Fentanyl Resulting in Death

LAREDO, Texas – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against a 31-year-old former resident of Laredo for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl which caused the death of another, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Alamdar S...
PRESS RELEASE

Chinese National Indicted for Importation of Enough Chemicals to Make Millions of Fatal Doses of Fentanyl

HOUSTON - A 48-year-old Chinese national has been indicted for his part in a conspiracy involving the importation of what is believed to be the largest amount of fentanyl precursors found in the Southern District of Texas and one of the largest in the country. Minsu Fang aka Fernando is...
PRESS RELEASE

Ohio Man Sentenced to 65 Months in Prison for Swapping Fentanyl, Cash for Counterfeit Pills

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Thursday sentenced an Ohio man who arranged to buy 200,000 counterfeit pills to five years and five months in prison. On June 27, 2021, Matthew Prunty, 31, of the Dayton area, sent another man to exchange $46,000 and 2,000 pills...