United States Drug Enforcement Administration

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Rose Esquilin Rios (34, Winter Haven) with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If convicted, Esquilin Rios faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Esquilin Rios that the...

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of four indictments charging a total of 12 individuals with murder in furtherance of drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, illegal possession of firearms, and bank fraud...

MIAMI – On July 29, Jordan Curry, 42, an Australian national from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy to launder money and import cocaine from South America through the United States to Australia. According to the agreed upon factual proffer, from 2019 to 2021...

MIAMI – Former British Virgin Islands (BVI) Premier Andrew Alturo Fahie was sentenced yesterday to 135 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams after having been convicted at trial of cocaine trafficking and money laundering conspiracies for agreeing to facilitate the safe passage of tons of...

MIAMI—A former officer in the Venezuelan National Guard was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison for participating in a money laundering scheme that involved bribes to foreign officials and defrauding foreign financial institutions. According to court documents, Nepmar Jesus Escalona Enriquez, 47, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla...

CHICAGO — Sheila G. Lyons, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Chicago Field Division, and U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois announced that a flight attendant and two bank employees in Indiana have been charged in a federal indictment that accuses a Mexico-based...

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Michael Gannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Indianapolis, and U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers for the Southern District of Indiana announced Keith J. Jones, a/k/a Keybo, 57, of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Kevin M. Backstrom, 58, of Los Angeles California have been sentenced to...

GREEN BAY, Wis. – John McGarry, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Milwaukee and U.S. Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad, for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on February 14, 2024, five individuals were sentenced by United States Senior District Court Judge William C. Griesbach for their...

CHICAGO — The wives of convicted drug traffickers Pedro Flores and Margarito Flores have each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. VIVIANNA LOPEZ, also known as “Mia Flores,” 42, and VALERIE GAYTAN, also known as “Olivia Flores,” 47, both confirmed in their plea agreements that...

CHICAGO — Robert J. Bell, Special Agent in Charge of Drug Enforcement Administration-Chicago Division, and U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch, Jr., for the Northern District of Illinois announced that a drug trafficker who conspired with his father and several others to operate a cocaine delivery service in the Chicago area...