United States Drug Enforcement Administration

An undercover investigation that began with a large cocaine sale resulted in the seizure of a gun and nearly 25 pounds of narcotics, including what appeared to be heroin/fentanyl and oxycodone pills, as well as methamphetamine. CARLOS TORRES and a second individual were arrested on Friday, July 12, 2024, and...

EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso man was sentenced in federal court to 15 years in prison for distribution of fentanyl, causing death. According to court documents, Michael Joseph Cuccaro, 22, sold counterfeit M-30 oxycodone pills containing fentanyl to a purchaser on Dec. 11, 2022. The purchaser consumed the...

MIDLAND, Texas – A Midland man was sentenced in a federal court in Midland to 20 years in prison for his role in a fatal fentanyl trafficking conspiracy. According to court documents, William Jake Childers, 39, trafficked counterfeit M-30 Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl that led to the deaths of two...

ORLANDO, Fla . – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that a federal jury has found Joel David Fonseca Flores (42, Orlando) guilty of conspiring to distribute fentanyl that resulted in death. He faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 20 years, up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing...

JOHNSTON, Iowa – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division hosted its third annual Family Summit at Camp Dodge in Johnston, Iowa, June 27, bringing together families from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota representing 41 loved ones lost to a fentanyl poisoning. “This is a somber day,”...

EL PASO, Texas – A San Antonio man was sentenced in a federal court in El Paso to 132 months in prison for distributing fentanyl-laced pills through the mail, leading to the death of an El Paso woman. According to court documents, Brennan Dane Short, 49, sold counterfeit M-30 pills...

SAN DIEGO – OptumRx Inc., a prescription drug benefit provider, has agreed to pay $20 million to resolve allegations that it improperly filled certain opioid prescriptions in violation of the Controlled Substances Act. The settlement resolves an investigation initiated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) into whether, between April 2013...

LOS ANGELES – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Los Angeles Field Division announced the sentencing of a large-scale fentanyl distributor operating within Ventura, California. Stephen Gregory Reid, 61, aka “Racer,” of Ventura, was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison. The DEA announcement, made last week, was the pinnacle point...

EL PASO, Texas – Two El Paso women have been sentenced in a federal court in El Paso prison for their roles in the fentanyl poisoning death of a 19-year-old single mother. According to court documents, Kathy Lee Nicole Bradford, 32, coordinated the sale of M-30 pills to a woman...

ALBUQUERQUE – A California man was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison for attempting to transport over 2 kilograms of heroin by train from Bernalillo County to North Carolina. There is no parole in the federal system. According to court documents, on February 26, 2021, Mario A. Serna was...