DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
271 Results - Showing 11 to 20
PRESS RELEASE

Former U.S. Border Patrol Agent Sentenced to 87 Months in Prison for Attempting to Distribute Methamphetamine and Receiving Bribes

SAN DIEG O - Former U.S. Border Patrol Agent Hector Hernandez, who admitted that he took bribes to smuggle methamphetamine and people across the U.S.-Mexico border while on duty, was sentenced in federal court today to 87-months in prison. Hernandez pleaded guilty in January, admitting that he agreed to use...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA and its Partners Remove More than 670,000 Pounds of Unused Medications from Communities Nationwide

Louisville, Ky. – DEA and its local law enforcement partners collected 670,136 pounds of unused medications during the 26th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 27, 2024. Locally, the Louisville Field Division, which covers Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia, collected over 45,000 pounds between 273 sites. Tennessee collected...
PRESS RELEASE

Defendants Charged with Distributing Fentanyl that Resulted in Overdose Death of Carlsbad Woman

SAN DIEG O - A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging Bryan Kim Bullard and Cameron William Fulston with distributing the fentanyl that resulted in the death of a 25-year-old Carlsbad woman. According to court records, on September 10, 2023, at approximately 12:23 a.m., San Diego Police Department...
PRESS RELEASE

Leader of Sophisticated Sinaloa Cartel Money Laundering Organization Sentenced to 120 Months

SAN DIEG O - Luis Reinaldo Ramirez of Mesa, Arizona, was sentenced in federal court today to 120 months in prison for his role as a leader in a transnational criminal organization that laundered $16.5 million dollars in narcotics proceeds for the Sinaloa Cartel. Ramirez was also sentenced for his...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Enters 15th Year of Removing Unneeded Medications from Communities

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Together with its law enforcement partners, the Drug Enforcement Administration will host its 26th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event aims to remove unneeded prescriptions from homes to help prevent medication misuse by offering anonymous...
PRESS RELEASE

Defendant Charged with Distributing Fentanyl that Resulted in Overdose Deaths of Two People

SAN DIEG O - Scott Anthony Sargent of San Diego appeared in federal court today to face charges that he distributed the fentanyl that resulted in the deaths of two victims in North Park in 2022. During the same incident, Sargent and another person also overdosed but survived. Sargent is...
PRESS RELEASE

Guatemalan Leader of Multi-Ton Cocaine Trafficking Organization Sentenced to Almost 22 Years in Prison

SAN DIEGO -Josue Adan Lemus-Lara, aka “Fenix,” was sentenced in federal court today to 260 months in prison. His sentence follows his conviction after a week-long jury trial in November 2023 where he was convicted on all charges in a maritime cocaine trafficking conspiracy. During a multi-year wiretap investigation led...
PRESS RELEASE

San Diego Drug Dealer Sentenced to Eight Years in Fatal Fentanyl Overdose

SAN DIEG O - Derek Neal Turfler of San Diego was sentenced in federal court today to 97 months in prison for his role in selling fentanyl pills to a 27-year-old woman who fatally overdosed on May 9, 2022. According to his plea agreement, Turfler arranged a meeting to deliver...
PRESS RELEASE

Former U.S. Border Patrol Agent Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Distribute Meth and Receiving Bribes

SAN DIEG O - Former U.S. Border Patrol Agent Hector Hernandez pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he used his official position to smuggle unauthorized immigrants and illegal drugs across the border in exchange for money. According to his plea agreement, Hernandez admitted to using his official position...
PRESS RELEASE

Year in Review: DEA Innovates to Fight Fentanyl

San Diego– In 2023, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration marked its 50th anniversary as the only federal agency dedicated to fighting deadly drugs and drug-related violence. This milestone celebrated a half century of dedication to fighting drug trafficking in the United States and around the world, which threatens the public...