DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
1065 Results - Showing 311 to 320
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Recognizes National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On Sunday, August 21, the Drug Enforcement Administration will recognize National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day by joining the many voices dedicated to educating the public on the serious dangers of fentanyl poisoning from fake pills and other illicit drugs. DEA supports the efforts of several...
PRESS RELEASE

Final Defendant Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Transport Stolen Catalytic Converters Across State Lines

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A former Springfield woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to her role in a conspiracy to transport tens of thousands of stolen catalytic converters across state lines as part of a multi-million-dollar business. Danielle Ice, 34, of Columbia, Mo., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge...
PRESS RELEASE

International Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 8 Years

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Mexican national was sentenced to 100 months in prison in connection to an international drug ring that distributed large quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana from Mexico in the Kansas City area. According to court documents, in January 2021, Aron Rodriguez- Posada, 48, pleaded...
PRESS RELEASE

St. Louis Man Admits Federal Murder-for-Hire Plot

ST. LOUIS - A man from St. Louis pleaded guilty Monday to a murder-for-hire charge and a drug conspiracy charge and admitted trying to have a man who owed him more then $100,000 killed. Kevin Cunningham, 36, pleaded guilty Monday in front of U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig to...
PRESS RELEASE

Kansas City Man Sentenced for $1 Million Meth Conspiracy Near Elementary School

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy that converted large amounts of liquid methamphetamine into crystal methamphetamine at a rented house near George Melcher Elementary School in Kansas City, Mo. Ruben Ortiz-Vieyra, 43, a lawful permanent...
PRESS RELEASE

Hazelwood Man Admits Selling Fatal Dose of Fentanyl

ST. LOUIS – A man from Hazelwood, Missouri, admitted on Tuesday to selling fentanyl that killed a Lake St. Louis, Missouri, man last year. Stephen Paul Jefferson Jr., 37, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk to a felony charge of distribution of fentanyl. Jefferson admitted...
PRESS RELEASE

Man Arrested on Federal Charges of Selling Fake Pills that caused Fatal Fentanyl Overdose

LOS ANGELES – A Paso Robles man has been arrested on federal charges of selling counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl to a 19-year-old Atascadero resident who suffered a fatal overdose from the synthetic opioid, the Justice Department announced today. Timothy Clark Wolfe, 24, was taken into custody Thursday by special...
PRESS RELEASE

Two Men Plead Guilty in Retaliatory Drug Murder in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS – Two men from St. Louis County pleaded guilty Monday and admitted their involvement in a retaliatory murder in 2020. Cevone Weeden, 26, pleaded guilty Monday in front of U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White to two counts: conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled...
PRESS RELEASE

Approximately 100,000 Fake Oxycodone Pills Containing Fentanyl

LOS ANGELES – Two Arizona men face federal charges after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Los Angeles Field Division’s Enforcement Group 2, in coordination with the Burbank Police Department, seized 100,000 fake oxycodone pills. A criminal complaint filed in federal court alleges that, in the early morning hours of...
PRESS RELEASE

18 Defendants Indicted for Meth Conspiracy

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Eighteen defendants have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine in southwest Missouri after law enforcement officers seized approximately 29 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately $57,000, and firearms. Brian E. Hall, 45, of Aurora, Mo., Jacqueline...