United States Drug Enforcement Administration

WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration is warning the public of a widespread fraud scheme in which telephone scammers impersonate DEA agents in an attempt to extort money or steal personal identifiable information. A new public service announcement aims to raise awareness that DEA will never phone demanding money or...

HOUSTON - With opioid overdose deaths increasing during the pandemic, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced its 20th Take Back Day scheduled for April 24. At its last Take Back Day in October, DEA collected a record-high amount of expired, unused prescription medications, with the public turning in close to 500...

HOUSTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration has selected Daniel C. Comeaux as Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the DEA Houston Division, which includes 12 offices spanning 118,000 square miles across South, Central, and East Texas, 645 miles of U.S./Mexico border, and is home to a population of over 16...

S AN ANTONIO - The United States Attorney’s Office has collected $792,000 in civil penalties as two more civil Controlled Substances Act (CSA) investigations have settled, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Steven S. Whipple, Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Gregg N. Sofer. These civil settlements, coupled...

SAN ANTONIO - U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sentenced 45-year-old Luther Otis Foster IV, to a total of 90 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release for pointing a shotgun at federal agents during the execution of a search warrant at his Bandera County residence, announced...

BEAUMONT, Texas – A 62-year-old Vidor, Texas woman has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Steven S. Whipple, Houston Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today. Catherine Ardis pleaded guilty...

HOUSTON – Another alleged associate of one of the most serious transnational organized criminal organizations will make his initial appearance in U.S. federal court today on charges of distributing kilogram quantities of cocaine from Colombia, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Steven S. Whipple and U.S. Attorney...

LAREDO, Texas – Two South Texas men have admitted they organized the smuggling of approximately 170 kilograms of marijuana from El Cenizo to Laredo, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Steven S. Whipple and U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Roberto Chavarria, 38, pleaded guilty today, while his...

HOUSTON – As part of its continuing efforts to reduce drug misuse and overdose, the Drug Enforcement Administration is launching a winter campaign urging the public to “Secure Your Meds.” The current health crisis has magnified the importance of addressing the issue of controlled prescription drug misuse. With Americans spending...

WASHINGTON – A Houston-area pain clinic owner and a clinic employee who posed as a physician were sentenced to 240 months and 96 months in prison, respectively, today for their roles at a “pill mill” where they and their coconspirator illegally prescribed hundreds of thousands of doses of opioids and...