DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
820 Results - Showing 351 to 360
PRESS RELEASE

Former Roanoke pharmacist sentenced for tampering with powerful narcotics

ROANOKE, Va. – Bryan Wade Lewis, a former pharmacist at Home Choice Partners in Roanoke, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court for tampering with a consumer product, hydromorphone, that affected interstate commerce. Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA's Washington Division and Acting United States Attorney Daniel...
PRESS RELEASE

5 Sinaloa Cartel Members plead guily to trafficking charges in Operation Cookout

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The mastermind behind an extensive drug trafficking ring entered a guilty plea this week, and four other defendants either entered pleas or were sentenced recently to substantial terms in prison for distributing large amounts of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in Newport News and North Carolina. “This...
PRESS RELEASE

New Hampshire businessman pleads guilty to spice distribution & fatal overdose

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Seabrook, New Hampshire man pleaded guilty today to his role in a nationwide conspiracy to distribute synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known as “spice” or “K2.” According to court documents, William Walsh, 56, operated two shops in Seabrook—“Up N Smoke” and “The Smoking Monkey”—from which he sold retail...
PRESS RELEASE

Three Men Plead Guilty to Smuggling Nearly 1,500 Kilos of Cocaine

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Three Colombian nationals pleaded guilty today to possessing with the intent to distribute nearly 1,500 kilograms of cocaine when they were interdicted in an unregistered vessel on the Pacific Ocean. According to court documents, on August 6, 2020, Eliovar Pineda, 45, Jenuar Angulo, 40, and Marcial...
PRESS RELEASE

Man Sentenced for Multimillion-Dollar Cross-Country Cocaine Conspiracy

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Camp Springs, Maryland man was sentenced today to 140 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, which led to the seizure of over $1 million in cash, approximately 45 kilograms of cocaine, over $240,000 worth of jewelry, four firearms, and...
PRESS RELEASE

Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Dealing Fatal Doses of Fentanyl-laced Heroin

HARRISONBURG, Va.- A Front Royal, Virginia man, who in the fall of 2017 distributed two fatal, fentanyl-laced doses of heroin, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Harrisonburg to a drug charge that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison, and the possibility of a life...
PRESS RELEASE

Jarod A. Forget named Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Division

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The DEA Washington Division is pleased to announce that Jarod A. Forget has been selected as the new Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Washington Division. SAC Forget will be responsible for DEA offices and mission throughout Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. This will...
PRESS RELEASE

Doctor Pays $153,000 to Resolve Allegations of Overprescribing Opioids at his Escondido Clinic

SAN DIEGO –Escondido pain clinic doctor Bradley Chesler, M.D., has paid the United States $153,000 to resolve allegations that he overprescribed opioids. Dr. Chesler is a board-certified physiatrist who operates a pain clinic in Escondido, California. This settlement stems from the United States’ investigation into whether Dr. Chesler illegally prescribed...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Acting Administrator makes first visit to Panama

WASHINGTON - Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator Timothy Shea arrived in Panama this week on an official visit, marking the first time a DEA Administrator visited Panama, a hub for regional DEA operations. Upon his arrival, Acting Administrator Shea and United States Chargé d’Affaires to Panama Stewart Tuttle met with...
PRESS RELEASE

Agents Seize $3.5 Million in U.S. Currency and Massive Quantities of Cocaine, Fentanyl, and .50 Caliber Ammunition in Otay Mesa

SAN DIEGO – Three Mexican nationals suspected of trafficking huge quantities of illicit drugs for the Sinaloa Cartel were charged in federal court today in connection with what is believed to be the largest single seizure of cash, narcotics and ammunition in this district. Jesus Burgos Arias, Juan Alatorre Venegas...