United States Drug Enforcement Administration

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Steve Lugo Leon, 24, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge G. Murray Snow to 70 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Leon pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 40 Grams or More of a Mixture...

PHOENIX – On April 22, 2023, DEA and its law enforcement partners came together once again to protect our communities from prescription misuse by safely disposing of 663,725 pounds of unneeded medications at nearly 5,000 collection sites across the country. Arizona communities came out to 83 collection sites and turned...

TUCSON, Ariz. – Luis Ernesto Morales-Reyes, 38, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge James A. Soto to 78 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Morales-Reyes pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl. In September of 2022, Morales-Reyes agreed to deliver approximately...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Drug Enforcement Administration will host its 24th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event offers anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 local drop-off locations nationwide. Last October, residents of Arizona turned in...

TUCSON, Ariz. – David Wayne Radde, 60, of Tucson, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to 120 months in prison. Radde pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. On November 10, 2020, Pima County Sheriff’s...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Juan Alfonso Torres-Rodriguez, 27, of Mexico, was charged by criminal complaint on March 9, 2023, with one count of Possessing Suspected Fentanyl Pills for Distribution. The complaint alleges that, on the evening of March 8, 2023, law enforcement officers observed Torres-Rodriguez participating in a suspected drug transaction...

TUCSON, Ariz. – Devonte Okeith Mathis, 24, of Mesquite, Texas, pleaded guilty March 15, 2022, to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, and Using and Carrying a Firearm During and In Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Last week, Darris Manero Vincent, 44, of Maricopa, Arizona, was sentenced by United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to 66 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Vincent pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Vincent’s co-defendants were sentenced in 2021...

PHOENIX– Today, DEA in partnership with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and the Tempe Police Department announced the culmination of a three-year long investigation targeting the Sinaloa Drug Cartel. To date, over 150 individuals have been charged and investigators have seized over 4.5 million fentanyl laced fake prescription pills, 66...

TUCSON, Ariz. – Last week, Francisco Pantoja, 25, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to nine years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Pantoja pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl in connection with the overdose death of a young...