DEA Archived Press Releases

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

Six Members of Evansville Fentanyl and Meth Trafficking Ring Indicted

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Michael Gannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Indianapolis and U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers for the Southern District of Indiana announced a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging six individuals for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine in...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Washington Division Saw a Surge of Over 250% in Fentanyl Pill Seizures in 2023

Washington, DC – The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, which covers the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) confiscated more than 639,000 fentanyl pills and 189 pounds of fentanyl powder in 2023. This amount represents more than a three-fold increase in the number of fake pills laced with...
PRESS RELEASE

Local Drug Dealer Admits to Selling “China White”

LAREDO, Texas – A 38-year-old resident of Laredo has entered a guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Houston Division, and U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. On May 26, authorities executed a search warrant...
PRESS RELEASE

Rock Hill Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Involvement in Fentanyl Distribution Ring

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — Patricia Ann Hemphill, 51, of Rock Hill, was sentenced to 3 years in federal prison after pleading guilty relating to a multi-state drug operation out of the Rock Hill and Charlotte, North Carolina area. Evidence presented to the Court showed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation...
PRESS RELEASE

25 Charged in Drug Bust Targeting Recording Studio

DALLAS, TX - Twenty-five alleged drug traffickers have been charged in “Operation Papercheck Fresh,” announced DEA Dallas Special Agent in Charge Eduardo A. Chávez. During a large-scale operation last Thursday – which involved eight law enforcement agencies targeting nine locations, including a recording studio in Dallas’ Bryan Place neighborhood –...
PRESS RELEASE

Upper Marlboro Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison for Heroin and Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Charles Benjamin Stewart, Jr., age 49, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, on April 18, 2022, to eight years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine; for illegally transporting a firearm obtained out...
PRESS RELEASE

Arlington Doctor Sentenced to 12 Years in Pill Mill Case

DALLAS, TX- An Arlington physician has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for fraud and drug crimes, announced DEA Special Agent in Charge Eduardo A. Chávez. In July 2021, a federal jury convicted physician Clinton Battle, 69, of one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one...
PRESS RELEASE

Drug Dealer Pleads Guilty to Heroin Distribution and Admits That Heroin He Distributed Resulted in a Fatal Overdose

Greenbelt, Md., – Edwin Kerry Smith, age 43, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and admitted that heroin he distributed to one victim resulted in the victim’s fatal overdose. The guilty plea was announced by Jarod Forget, Special Agent in...
PRESS RELEASE

California Narcotics Trafficker Sentenced

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Ana Christina Avalos a/k/a “Christina Cazares-Quintero”, age 35, of Phelan, California, to 57 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. The sentence was announced by...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Dallas Seizes 1,447 Pounds of Drugs, 49 Firearms, and Over $6.6M in Drug-Related Assets

DALLAS – The DEA Dallas Field Division today announced the results of two Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operations targeting international drug and firearm trafficking between Mexico and Texas. Operations Trap Mansion and Two Birds and One Stone were a sustained state-wide effort of numerous federal, state, and...