United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - McKesson Corporation, one of the nation’s largest distributors of pharmaceutical drugs, agreed to pay a record $150 million civil penalty for alleged violations of the Controlled Substances (CSA). The settlement resolves allegations that McKesson failed to design and implement an effective system to detect and report “suspicious...

FRESNO, Calif. - Chaudhry Ahmad Farooq, 24, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiring to distribute heroin, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John J. Martin and U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, from approximately November 2015 through August 2016...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Three defendants were sentenced to federal prison last week for drug trafficking, announced Drug Enforcement (DEA) Assistant Special Agent in Charge Matthew Barden and Kenneth Elser, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. Santiago (aka Chuco), age 47, of Commerce, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 151...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Costco Wholesale will pay $11.75 million to settle allegations that its pharmacies violated the Controlled Substances (CSA) when they improperly filled prescriptions for controlled substances. The settlement resolves allegations that Costco pharmacies filled prescriptions that were incomplete, lacked valid DEA registration numbers or were for substances beyond...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Hung C. Nguyen, 40, of Moorpark, pleaded guilty today to manufacturing marijuana as part of a larger conspiracy to distribute marijuana throughout California, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John J. Martin announced. According to court documents, Nguyen conducted a...

LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles man facing federal drug trafficking charges for allegedly trying to smuggle at least a kilogram of heroin on a plane leaving Los Angeles International (LAX) was scheduled to make his first court appearance this afternoon. James Mitchell, 25, who resides in Pico-Union, was arrested...

FRESNO, Calif. - Jose Soto, 36, resident of Lamont, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John J. Martin announced. According to court documents, on May 5, 2016, at his residence in Lamont...

FRESNO, Calif. - A federal grand jury in Fresno returned an indictment today against Emil Vladimirov Babadjov, 31, of San Francisco, charging him with distributing fentanyl and heroin, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John J. Martin announced. Babadjov was arrested and...

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Jose Vazquez-Barron, AKA Chepa, was sentenced yesterday to 210 (17.5 years) in prison for his role in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John J. Martin. The sentence...

LOS ANGELES - Today throughout Los Angeles and neighboring counties, as well as in Arizona and Utah, agents from the Drug Enforcement (DEA) and officers from several state and local law enforcement agencies executed approximately 29 state search and arrest warrants. This enforcement operation culminates a nearly year-long investigation into...