United States Drug Enforcement Administration

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Marcella Moore, 44, of Lewiston, Idaho, was sentenced to federal prison earlier today for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye sentenced Moore to 54 months in prison followed by three years supervised release. Judge Nye also ordered Moore to pay...

PORTLAND, Ore.—Esteban Guillen Ramirez, 53, of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, was sentenced on April 7, 2019, to one year in federal prison and three years’ supervised release for his role in a complex black market peso exchange money laundering scheme. The scheme was uncovered in 2015 following a lengthy investigation by...

OAKLAND, Calif. – Michael Vicochea was sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Christian Vanleer was sentenced to 10 years in prison, for their respective roles in a drug distribution conspiracy and related crimes, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and DEA Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielsen. The...

SAN FRANCISCO – Agusto Wosbeli Aguilar Meda, a/k/a Maza, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine in Marin County, announced United States Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielsen and U.S. Attorney...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Rancho Cordova woman was indicted on April 4, 2019, charged with distribution of fentanyl and oxycodone and other opioids as a result of a coordinated operation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S...

SEATTLE – Three members of an international drug trafficking organization pleaded guilty on March 25, 2019, in U.S. District Court in Seattle to distributing more than a thousand kilograms of marijuana. The defendants admitted in their plea agreements that they used money from conspirators in the Peoples Republic of China...

SAN JOSE, Calif. – South Bay doctor Venkat Aachi pleaded guilty to distributing hydrocodone outside the scope of his professional practice and without a legitimate medical need, and to health care fraud, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielsen, Federal Bureau...

SPOKANE, Wash. – Dr. James Stein-Sheridan Shelby, 50, of Spokane, pled guilty on March 20, 2019, to conspiring with Timothy James Felch, 36, also of Spokane, to distribute opioid pain medications, hydrocodone and tramadol, without a legitimate medical purpose and outside the usual course of professional practice. Shelby also pleaded...

SAN FRANCISCO – Carlos Olivares Hernandez was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for his involvement in a methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking conspiracy, announced United States Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielsen and U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable...

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielsen announced that Alex Taylor, 49, of San Jose, was arrested on Saturday, March 2, 2019, outside his residence in San Jose, Calif., for impersonating a federal agent. The DEA San Jose Resident Office began their investigation in...