United States Drug Enforcement Administration

DENVER - An influx of substances, more potent and deadlier than ever, are being seized in Colorado in record amounts. Fentanyl pills in all colors, shapes and sizes; fentanyl in liquid and powder form; and fentanyl adulterated with Xylazine are leading to an increased number of drug poisonings and overdoses...

BOSTON – A Methuen man was arrested today for allegedly trafficking counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl and unlawfully possessing ammunition. Shawn Hart, 45, was charged with one count distribution of and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition. He will...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute. Warren Andre Washington, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 11 years in federal prison without parole. On Nov. 29, 2022, Washington pleaded guilty...

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...

ST. LOUIS – A man from Seattle, Wash., on Thursday admitted buying 630,000 counterfeit Xanax and other pills on the dark web. Maximillian Gregory Verbowski, 28, pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to sell counterfeit drugs, selling counterfeit drugs and using a fictitious name on mail to commit...

DENVER – Howard Weiss of Greenwood Village was sentenced to six months in federal prison for distributing a controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice, for structuring financial transactions in a way to evade reporting requirements, and for engaging in monetary transactions greater than $10,000 that were derived...

SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment Wednesday charging a Utah man with distribution of fentanyl resulting in death. According to the criminal complaint, Shereldon Cly Yanito, a/k/a “Bobby,” 23, of Grand County, Utah, allegedly sold fentanyl to a victim who overdosed...

BOSTON – A Peabody man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston in connection with selling approximately 40,000 fentanyl pills. Manuel E. Tejeda, 42, pleaded guilty on June 2, 2023 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A California man pleaded guilty in federal court today to smuggling more than 33,000 counterfeit pills that contained nearly four kilograms of fentanyl aboard a bus traveling through Kansas City, Missouri, from Los Angeles, Calif. Matthew J. Gomez, 28, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Steve Lugo Leon, 24, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge G. Murray Snow to 70 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Leon pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 40 Grams or More of a Mixture...