United States Drug Enforcement Administration

NEW ORLEANS – Today, Attorney General William P. Barr and Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea announced the results of Operation Crystal Shield, DEA’s six-month-long effort targeting the command and control elements of Mexican cartels that operate major methamphetamine “transportation hubs” in the United States. At a press...

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Drug Enforcement Administration yesterday announced that a member of a large drug trafficking organization was sentenced. Byron A. Lawson, age 40, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was sentenced as part of Operation Hidden Fee, an extensive federal, state, and local investigation by the Middle District Organized...

BATON ROUGE, La. – A federal grand jury recently returned a five-count indictment charging Donovan J. Barker, age 59, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with aiding and abetting a conspiracy to distribute tramadol and carisoprodol, international money laundering, unlawful money transmitting, and possession of tramadol. On Oct. 25, 2018, Barker made...

MOBILE, Ala. – A twenty-three count indictment charging 18 members and associates of a Selma-based street gang known as the “MLK Gang” with narcotics conspiracy and firearms offenses was unsealed yesterday, announced Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Stephen G. Azzam and United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of...

NEW ORLEANS – With the robust participation of Americans nationwide, DEA and its law enforcement partners have now surpassed its 10 million pound goal and collected nearly 11 million pounds of unused, unwanted or expired prescription medications over the course of 16 successful DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back events...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – On Monday, Oct. 29, 2018, a federal jury convicted nurse practitioner Lilian Ifeoma Akwuba, 39, of Montgomery, Alabama, on 17 counts of unlawfully distributing controlled substances, 4 counts of health care fraud, 1 count of conspiring to distribute controlled substances, and 1 count of conspiring to commit...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Jessie Acosta, 41, of San Pedro, California, was sentenced to more than 12 years (150 months) in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute kilogram quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana throughout the Middle District of Alabama and Georgia, announced U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant...

NEW ORLEANS – The Drug Enforcement Administration invites the community to take a visible stand against drugs by celebrating Red Ribbon Week from October 23-31. Red Ribbon Week raises awareness of drug use and the problems related to drugs facing our community, and encourages parents, educators, business owners, and other...

NEW ORLEANS – Eight New Orleans-area defendants have pleaded guilty for their participation in a conspiracy to obtain oxycodone through fraud by using fictitious prescriptions. Six of the eight defendants have also pleaded guilty for their roles in a scheme to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone on the black...

NEW ORLEANS – After collecting a total of more than 9.9 million pounds (nearly 5,000 tons) of expired, unused and unwanted prescription medications during 15 previous events over the past eight years, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration expects to reach a total of 10 million pounds collected following the upcoming...