United States Drug Enforcement Administration

OMAHA, Neb – Five members of a Houston-based organization known for targeting rural pharmacies in Western Iowa and Western Nebraska face federal charges after breaking in and stealing pharmaceuticals in May and June of 2022 and 2023. These five people are part of a larger conspiracy being prosecuted out of...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has seen an increase in burglaries at independent pharmacies across the country. Nearly 900 burglaries involving the theft of controlled substances were reported to DEA in 2023. Stolen prescription medications adversely impact these small businesses while also putting patients and the community at...

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...

LITTLE ROCK—Roy Edsel Heifner, Jr., classified as an armed career criminal based on his multiple prior convictions, will spend 15 years in federal prison for his involvement in the distribution of controlled substances, including fentanyl, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jonathan D. Ross, United States...

TEXARKANA, AR – A Texarkana Physician was sentenced today to 87 months in prison followed by three years of supervised on two counts of Distribution of a Schedule II Controlled Substance Without an Effective Prescription and 12 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release on two counts...

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of four indictments charging a total of 12 individuals with murder in furtherance of drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, illegal possession of firearms, and bank fraud...

EL PASO, Texas – A Mexican national was sentenced in El Paso to 245 months in prison for two counts related to her role in a drug trafficking conspiracy. According to court documents, Karla Adriana Votta-Cardenas aka “Adriana,” aka “Samantha,” aka “Sophia,” 43, of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, worked for...

HOT SPRINGS – A Hot Springs woman was sentenced Monday to 188 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute More Than Fifty (50) Grams of Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing...

TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Joseph Marion, 41, of St. Petersburg, Fla., to life in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and crack cocaine; distributing fentanyl; distributing a mixture of fentanyl and heroin that resulted in serious bodily injury; and possessing...

LOS ANGELES – A licensed physician and an alleged San Fernando Valley drug dealer were arrested today in connection with the death of actor Matthew Perry, who suffered a fatal ketamine overdose in October 2023. In total, five defendants, including two doctors, have been charged in this matter, according to...