United States Drug Enforcement Administration

MADISON, Wis. – Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Farooq Shahzad, 50, Madison, Wis., was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 30 months in federal prison and fined $1,000,000 for conspiring to distribute synthetic cannabinoids and possessing...

MILWAUKEE - U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Krueger of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that three defendants were arrested in Buenos Aires, Argentina yesterday. These defendants are wanted in the United States to face charges in the Eastern District of Wisconsin for operating numerous illegal online pharmacies and conspiring to...

El PASO, Texas – The Drug Enforcement Administration urges its DEA-registered practitioners and members of the public to be cautious of telephone calls from criminals posing as DEA or other law enforcement personnel threatening arrest and prosecution for supposed violations of federal drug laws or involvement in drug-trafficking activities. DEA...

CHICAGO — 35 individuals are facing criminal charges as part of a joint federal and state investigation into heroin and fentanyl trafficking in Chicago. During the multi-year investigation, dubbed “Operation Road Rage,” law enforcement seized a kilogram of heroin, most of which contained fentanyl, approximately $100,000 in cash, five firearms...

DEA’s El Paso Division, which covers West Texas and New Mexico, is issuing this safety bulletin to remind the public not to purchase pills or medications from street dealers. Recently DEA El Paso learned that certain pills, which are being sold on the street and have similar markings to legitimate...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – DEA Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon today unveiled the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 5,500 square foot Drugs: Costs and Consequences travelling exhibit in Albuquerque with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, where it will be housed for the next several months. The...

Albuquerque, N.M. – Francisco Gallegos-Avena, 37, of Guaymas Sonoro, Mexico, pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. In his plea agreement, Gallegos-Avena admitted he transported approximately 722 grams of heroin in his luggage while traveling through Albuquerque on May...

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Ten people are facing federal drug trafficking charges in New Mexico following an 11-month investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Lea County Drug Task Force. Teams of federal, state, county and local law enforcement officers conducted a major law enforcement operation on Thursday...

CHICAGO — A father and son are among 18 individuals facing criminal charges as part of a federal investigation into cocaine trafficking in the Chicago area. During the multi-year investigation, dubbed “Operation Flawed Deal,” law enforcement seized multiple bank accounts, more than a kilogram of cocaine, a Mercedes G63 sport-utility...

CHICAGO - The former owner of a Chicago medical clinic admitted in federal court today that he sold opioid prescriptions to patients whom he knew lacked a legitimate medical need for the drugs. MOHAMMED SHARIFF, who owned Midtown Medical Center in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, conspired with a physician to sell...