United States Drug Enforcement Administration

MIAMI – Dr. Ronald Lubetsky was sentenced this week to five (5) years in prison by U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks for unlawfully dispensing narcotics—specifically oxycodone and morphine. Lubetsky was convicted at trial in November on seven counts of unlawfully dispensing narcotics. Trial evidence showed that law enforcement learned...

ORLANDO, Fla. – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Luis Omar Rosa Cotto (32, Orlando), Alejandro Acevedo Luna (34, Apopka), and Juan Carlos Garcia (38, Apopka) to federal prison for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Luis Omar Rosa Cotto Pleaded guilty on July 12, 2022...

OCALA, Fla. – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Uriel Fajardo-Albarran (27, Coleman) guilty of one count of conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and three counts of distribution of methamphetamine. Fajardo-Albarran faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years...

SAN DIEGO - Terese L. White, a flight attendant residing in Dallas, Texas, has pleaded guilty in federal court to a drug-trafficking charge, admitting that she used her privileges as a flight attendant to bypass the more robust security screening process at San Diego International Airport in order to smuggle...

MIAMI – As 2022 comes to an end, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is announcing the seizure of over 50.6 million fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills and more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder this calendar year. The DEA Laboratory estimates that these seizures represent more than 379 million potentially deadly...

SAN DIEGO - Dr. David J. Smith, a pain management physician, and his office manager, Julia Ann Oertle, are charged in a federal grand-jury indictment with perpetuating a long-running scheme to commit healthcare fraud and to manufacture and distribute adulterated fentanyl. Smith made his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate...

ORLANDO , Fla . – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that Carlos Alberto Roman (56, Orlando) has pleaded guilty to possession of controlled substances and possessing a firearm equipped with a silencer in furtherance of that drug crime. Roman faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 30 years, up...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A federal jury in Gainesville convicted Edwin Giovanny Mendoza-Verdugo, 20, of Sinaloa, Mexico, on one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, further finding Mendoza-Verdugo responsible for 40-400 grams of fentanyl, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. The...

TAMPA, Fla . – Ubertino Zavala-Perez (59, Plant City, Florida) was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Zavala-Perez pleaded guilty on August 31, 2022. According to court documents, Zavala-Perez conspired with individuals in Mexico and others to distribute and import methamphetamine from...

TAMPA, Fla. – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that a federal jury has found Jy’quale Samari Grable (20, Tampa) guilty of conspiracy, robbery, and first-degree premediated murder. Grable faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 16, 2022. Jy’quale...