United States Drug Enforcement Administration

MIAMI - As U.S. overdose deaths reach a devastating new height, claiming a new victim every five minutes, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has revealed a direct link between fentanyl-related overdose deaths and criminal drug networks in Mexico. These groups are harnessing social media platforms to bring drugs laced with...

LOS ANGELES— A Los Angeles man was arrested late Monday night on a federal grand jury indictment alleging he provided fentanyl-laced pills to a 15-year-old who died on July 8, 2021 after taking the pills. Johnny Castillo, 18, is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court Tuesday afternoon...

Baltimore, Md., – Khalil Shaheed, age 28, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possession of a firearm by a felon. The guilty plea was announced by Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of...

PHOENIX - On December 9th, 2021, the DEA Phoenix Field Division Task Force and the Goodyear Police Department arrested Brian Meza-Raya, 18, of Phoenix, Arizona, who is facing multiple felony charges related to alleged drug distribution. Law enforcement served a search warrant on December 9th, at a residence in Phoenix...

RICHMOND, Va. – A Guatemalan national was sentenced today to 172 months in prison for his role as a maritime transportation manager in a large-scale Guatemalan drug trafficking organization (DTO). According to court documents, beginning in 2016, Amilcar Chavez-Barrera, 42, conspired to distribute over 1,000 kilograms of cocaine for distribution...

DENVER – Today, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Denver Field Division, alongside Rocky Mountain HIDTA and the 18th Judicial District, announced the indictment of 19 individuals and arrest of 10 individuals as a part of an investigation into a poly-drug trafficking organization operating in the greater Denver area of Colorado. In...

Greenbelt, Md., – Charles Benjamin Stewart, Jr., age 46, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to federal charges for conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine, illegally transporting a firearm obtained out of state, and possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine. The guilty plea was announced by Jarod...

Seattle – Three men who were convicted at trial in August 2021, of multiple federal felonies for distributing fentanyl pills in Snohomish, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties, were sentenced to lengthy prison terms, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. The leader of the drug ring, Bradley Woolard, 41, of Arlington, was sentenced...

Greenbelt, Md., – A federal jury convicted El Salvadorian nationals Junior Noe Alvarado-Requeno, a/k/a “Insolente” and “Trankilo,” age 24, of Landover, Maryland, and Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, a/k/a “Reaper,” age 41, of Long Branch, New Jersey yesterday for conspiring to participate in La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise also...

Baltimore, Md., – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Brian Blackston, age 32, of Baltimore, yesterday to 70 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine in the Monument Street area of East Baltimore. The...