DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
37 Results - Showing 1 to 10
PRESS RELEASE

Twenty-One Suspected El Paso Gang Affiliates Arrested for Alleged Drug Trafficking, Firearm Offenses

EL PASO, Texas – Twenty-one individuals suspected of being affiliated with the Chuco Tango street gang were arrested Thursday in and around El Paso on criminal charges related to their alleged involvement in trafficking of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine, and/or the unlawful possession of firearms. The following defendants were indicted...
PRESS RELEASE

Marijuana Drug Deal that Ended in Death Results in Guilty Pleas

ST. LOUIS – Two men have admitted being involved in the fatal shooting of a man in University City, Missouri, in 2022 because they thought he bought marijuana with counterfeit money. Nathaniel Brown-Shatto, 21, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of knowingly discharging...
PRESS RELEASE

Member of Violent Gang Pleads Guilty to Racketeering and Drug Trafficking Offenses

BOSTON – A Boston-area man has pleaded to his role in Cameron Street, a violent Boston gang. Devante Lopes, a/k/a “D-Lopes,” 30, of Boston and Quincy, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise (more commonly referred to as RICO or racketeering conspiracy); conspiracy to distribute marijuana; and...
PRESS RELEASE

Member of Violent Gang Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Racketeering, Drug and Firearm Offenses

BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced today in connection with his role in Cameron Street, a violent Boston gang. Paulo Santos, a/k/a “Bucky,” 35, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to 10 years in prison and four years of supervised release. In January 2024...
PRESS RELEASE

Indiana Man Sentenced to 7 Years for Firearm Offense

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Alfred Cooke, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Merrillville, Indiana, and U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson for the Northern District of Indiana announced that Eugene Dawson, 42, of Michigan City, Indiana, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading...
PRESS RELEASE

North Carolina Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Meth Trafficking

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Alfred A. Cooke, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Merrillville, Indiana, and U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson for the Northern District of Indiana announced that Keith Wigfall, 57, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty on...
PRESS RELEASE

Leader of Savannah-Area Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Sentenced to Decades in Federal Prison

SAVANNAH, GA: The leader of a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed kilos of cocaine and large amounts of other illegal drugs throughout the coastal Georgia area has been sentenced to more than 25 years in federal prison, concluding prosecution of Operation Deadlier Catch. Joseph Bulloch, a/k/a “Lil Joe,” 34, of...
PRESS RELEASE

Major Southeast Missouri Drug Trafficking Organization Indicted

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Nineteen members of a Charleston, Missouri-based drug trafficking organization accused of being the main supplier of methamphetamine and fentanyl to southeast Missouri have been indicted on a felony drug conspiracy charge, U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming announced Friday. Arrests by federal, state and local law enforcement...
PRESS RELEASE

MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison After Being Convicted of Racketeering, Including Murders, and Federal Drug Charges

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Brayan Contreras-Avalos, a/k/a “Anonimo,” “Humilde,” and “Malia,” age 28, of Langley Park, Maryland, late yesterday to the statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison on charges related to his participation in a racketeering enterprise known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or...
PRESS RELEASE

Indiana Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Meth Trafficking

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Alfred A. Cooke, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Drug Enforcement Administration-Merrillville, Indiana, and U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson for the Northern District of Indiana announced that Shaquille Delaney, 32, of South Bend, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty...