DEA Archived Press Releases

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

DEA Executes Operation Bottleneck to Prevent the Diversion of Controlled Substances and Keep Communities Safe

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced administrative actions against six DEA-registered companies which, together, failed to account for more than a million doses of opioids. Under DEA initiative “Operation Bottleneck,” DEA served an Immediate Suspension Order and five Orders to Show Cause over a one-month period from...
PRESS RELEASE

Former Alaska Advanced Nurse Practitioner Sentenced to 30 Years for Illegally Prescribing Millions of Opioids Causing Five Deaths

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—Former Advanced Nurse Practitioner Jessica Joyce Spayd (52) was sentenced in U.S. District Court yesterday to 30 years (360 months) imprisonment for illegally prescribing and dispensing opioids outside the scope of legitimate medical practice that resulted in the deaths of five people between 2014 and 2019. United States District...
PRESS RELEASE

Haverhill Pill Distributor Indicted for Trafficking Tens of Thousands of Pills Containing Fentanyl and Meth

BOSTON – A Haverhill man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly distributing tens of thousands of pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. Angel Joel Diaz, a/k/a “Guero,” 34, was indicted on one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, two counts...
PRESS RELEASE

Missouri Doctor Admits Diluting Clinic’s Methadone

ST. LOUIS - A doctor admitted on Friday that he diluted methadone that was dispensed in a St. Francois County, Missouri, methadone clinic in 2021. Dr. Sunil G. Chand, 59, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk to one count of adulterating a drug with the...
PRESS RELEASE

Robeson County Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Distributing Thousands of Illegal Pills While Possessing Gun

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Robeson County man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possessing with the intent to distribute thousands of illegal prescription pills including oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, and methadone. On February 16, 2021, Jeffrey Randal Brooks, Jr., pleaded guilty to the charges...
PRESS RELEASE

Richland Physician Sentenced for Conspiring to Distribute Medically Unnecessary Fentanyl Patches, Opioid Pills and Other Controlled Substances

SPOKANE, Wash. – Senior U.S. District Judge Edward F. Shea has sentenced Dr. Janet Sue Arnold, age 63, of Benton City, Washington, to 48 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute opioid pain medications and other controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose...
PRESS RELEASE

Dark Web Narcotics Trafficker Sentenced to 96 Months in Prison

BROOKLYN, NY – Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Joanna De Alba was sentenced by United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry to 96 months in prison for distributing, and possessing with intent to distribute, illegal drugs over the “dark web.” De Alba distributed an array of illegal...
PRESS RELEASE

Physician Assistant Sentenced for Conspiring to Distribute and Dispense Oxycodone, Fentanyl, Methadone, and Alprazolam

Baltimore, Md., – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced William Soyke, age 68, of Hanover, Pennsylvania to 37 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and dispense oxycodone, fentanyl, methadone, and alprazolam outside the scope of professional practice and not for...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Washington Launches New Conference Series to Work with Healthcare Professionals & Help End the Overdose Crisis

The DEA Washington Division, an agency currently working to expand partnerships to offer targeted, full-scope solutions for the drug problems in Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia, today introduced a new webinar series, “Empowering DMV Healthcare Professionals.” The idea for this unique concept was crystalized during the pandemic, when overdose rates...
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...