GENERAL INFORMATION

DEA Asset Forfeiture

March 28, 2025
… is a tool in our country’s battle against drug abuse and drug crimes, helping to shut down “pill mills” and stop … of drug trafficking and money laundering groups worldwide, from the lowly courier carrying cash or drugs to the top … standard needed to arrest someone) and obtain a warrant from a judge (with some exceptions).  The US Department of …
March 28, 2025
PRESS RELEASE

Fort Salonga Urologist and Wife Charged with Criminal Sale of a Prescription for a Controlled Substance and Falsifying Business Records

… is rooted in an ‘all hands-on deck’ approach to save lives from illegal drug misuse and abuse through enforcement, … as most prescriptions are transmitted electronically from a doctor directly to a pharmacy. Furthermore, Jessica … and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from Homeland Security, launched an investigation into the …
PRESS RELEASE

Cocaine Trafficker Sentenced to 222 Months In Prison

… which Esteves and his coconspirators hoped to import from Puerto Rico.  Esteves was convicted on August 4, 2022 … Esteves returned to that business barely a year removed from serving a sentence for trafficking thousands of … that attempted to purchase 150 kilograms of cocaine from purported Colombian suppliers, who were in fact …
PRESS RELEASE

Man Indicted by Queens DA in Possession of Deadly Fentanyl

… the trunk. Carrol is accused of transporting the narcotics from Suffolk County to Queens for the purpose of selling the … in the United States. In 2021, 107,622 Americans died from drug poisonings and over 66 percent are directly … 20,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills. A recent bulletin from the DEA indicated that in 2022, six out of ten …
PRESS RELEASE

Man Sentenced to Prison for Heroin and Fentanyl Trafficking Related Death of Massapequa Woman

… 13, 2020 that caused the death of a 21-year old woman from Massapequa, New York. Riddick pleaded guilty on January … and caused the death of a 21-year-old female victim from Massapequa. Defendant Riddick infected our … with Riddick in which she appeared to be ordering heroin from the defendant. On September 15, 2020, during the …
PRESS RELEASE

DEA announces 19th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

… offices located in New York City, Albany, Buffalo, Long Island, Plattsburgh, Rochester, Syracuse and Westchester County … that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. Collection sites will adhere …
PRESS RELEASE

Two Poughkeepsie men sentenced for selling fentanyl that led to the deaths of at least four users

… Beginning in February 2017 – right after being released from prison – Moss agreed with others to sell fentanyl.  By … December 2017 – the month after his most recent release from prison Melendez began selling fentanyl to customers in … direct customers or customers of others who purchased drugs from Melendez – overdosed on Melendez’s drugs, but survived …
PRESS RELEASE

Staten Island man sentenced to 12 years for illegally distributing oxycodone

… Staten Island man sentenced to 12 years for illegally distributing … street prices even higher in other parts of the country.    From at least approximately January 2012 until his arrest in …
PRESS RELEASE

NYPD Officer convicted of drug trafficking and firearms offenses in Manhattan Federal Court

… NYPD Officer convicted of drug trafficking and firearms offenses in Manhattan Federal Court March 07, … documents and the evidence at trial:   This case arises from a New York Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation …
PRESS RELEASE

Mississippi Man Sentenced in OCDETF Drug Trafficking Case

… Engage New Orleans Eliminating the local drug threat and engaging community leaders to reduce drug misuse. Visit … to five years supervised release following his release from prison.  “The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office is … drug trafficking organizations and bring those who profit from them to justice. This individual’s sentencing is a …
PRESS RELEASE

Fairbanks Man Sentenced to Over 14 Years in Case for Possessing Kilograms of Illegal Drugs with Intent to Distribute

… that Kevin Shank, 46, was selling controlled substances from his residence in Fairbanks. In February 2024, law … purchase 1.1 grams of heroin and 21 blue fentanyl pills from Shank. On March 19, 2024, law enforcement executed a … proceeds. “Drug traffickers like Mr. Shank, who profit from the pain they cause selling poison to our neighbors, …
PRESS RELEASE

Four People Sentenced to Prison for Distributing Fentanyl

… Beach, Fla., was sentenced to 200 months in federal prison. From June 2023 to May 2024, Hazzi sold drugs, including more … Miami Field Division investigated the cases with assistance from Palm Beach Sheriff's Office, Boynton Beach Police …
PRESS RELEASE

Defendants in Massive Drug Distribution Scheme Sentenced to Federal Prison

… mailing kilograms of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine from California to his associate in Detroit, Kennie Smith. … of which contained drugs packaged inside of plastic buckets from a hardware store chain. Smith then managed distribution in the Detroit area from several of his properties. Haskins later recruited …
PRESS RELEASE

Man Sentenced to Over 17 Years in Prison for Trafficking Meth and Fentanyl, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime

… observed a GMC Sierra Denali that had previously fled from Sherwood Police and Arkansas State Police in recent … refused to stop. He collided with patrol cars and fled from troopers, exceeding speeds of 100 m.p.h. and endangering others. Troopers continued to chase Monroe from Sherwood through Little Rock before the pursuit was …
PRESS RELEASE

California Drug Supplier Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for Role in Fentanyl Overdose Death of Alaska Man

… price than Outside. The pills were shipped in a parcel from California and arrived in Fairbanks on Oct. 17. Inside … in the area. On Oct. 26, the victim purchased two pills from the shipment. Sometime between the evening of Oct. 26 … fentanyl, which was contained in the pills that originated from Tulali. Evidence presented at trial connected two …
PRESS RELEASE

Armed Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced to More Than 20 Years in Federal Prison

… Engage Ft. Lauderdale Eliminating the local drug threat and engaging community leaders to reduce drug misuse. Visit … of a mixture containing fentanyl, cocaine, and a scale from a backpack that also contained a loaded firearm, as Wilson carried it from his hotel room to his car.  Wilson acknowledged he had …
PRESS RELEASE

Brothers Who Led a Massive Meth Distribution Ring Sentenced to Significant Prison Time

… for transporting as much as 50 pounds of methamphetamine from California to Washington each month. In announcing the … more than 105 pounds of meth at locations ranging from casino parking lots to outlet mall stores. In one … of methamphetamine in his luggage that he had transported from Sacramento, California. In May 2022, authorities …
PRESS RELEASE

Palomar Hospital Pays $250,000 for Diverting Fentanyl

… $250,000 to resolve allegations of diversion of fentanyl from one of its facilities and failure to keep accurate … campuses in Escondido and Poway. This settlement arises from a self-disclosure Palomar Health made to the U.S. Drug … Health and concluded that vials of fentanyl were diverted from Pyxis machines—automated medication dispensing machines …
PRESS RELEASE

Johnson, Vermont Man Sentenced to 57 Months for Drug and Gun Offenses

… confronted Goins near his apartment. Goins took a handgun from his pocket, shot the victim in the neck, and fled. Law … a Smith & Wesson SD9 VE 9mm semi-automatic pistol. From a riverbank behind the Johnson apartment complex, …
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Releases 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment

… security issue, which requires a new approach. “The shift from plant-based drugs, like heroin and cocaine, to … laboratories average 2.4 mg of fentanyl, but have ranged from 0.2 mg to as high as 9 mg. The advent of fentanyl … powder seized by DEA contained xylazine. That is up from 25% in 2022.   Social media platforms and encrypted …
PRESS RELEASE

Brooklyn Man Sentenced To Nearly Six Years In Prison For Role In Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Involving Over 50 Kilograms Of Cocaine

… (DTO) wherein he transported kilograms of cocaine from New York to Boston in August 2020. Dinelson … in New York. In August 2020, Hernandez-Rodriguez drove from New York to Hyde Park with kilograms of cocaine hidden … a co-conspirator also transported kilograms of cocaine from New York to Hyde Park. In total, Hernandez-Rodriguez …
PRESS RELEASE

Member of Skagit and Whatcom Drug Distribution Ring Sentenced to Prison

… Member of Skagit and Whatcom Drug Distribution Ring Sentenced to Prison March … Led Investigators on a High-Speed Chase, Tossing Drugs from the Window as he Tried to Get Away SEATTLE, Wash. – A … was arrested November 1, 2022, when he fled at high speeds from law enforcement, tossing bags of drugs from the car. At …
PRESS RELEASE

Jury Convicts Hampton Roads Conspirators of Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering Charges

… of conspirators that peddled illegal and potent substances from Puerto Rico into the Hampton Roads area,” said Raj … 42, and Nastassja Lopez-Alvarado, 31, both originally from Puerto Rico but living in Suffolk, were responsible for … at the Richmond International Airport and were prevented from taking approximately $28,000 in U.S. currency in a …
PRESS RELEASE

Atlanta Woman Sentenced to 204 Months in Prison for Role in Methamphetamine Conspiracy

… 204 months in federal prison. According to court documents, from October 2018 through August 2019, members of a … to acquire a total of seven kilograms of methamphetamine from Degollado, which were then distributed to co-defendants … all admitted they distributed methamphetamine acquired from Dear throughout southwest Virginia during this …
PRESS RELEASE

Owner of Tennessee Drug Screening Lab Sentenced to 36 months on Federal Health Care Fraud Charge

… to one count of intentionally omitting information from reports as required under the Controlled Substances … Dube in a letter dated June 29, 2012, that he was excluded from participating in any federal health care program. … In addition, Michael Dube also received kickback payments from third parties for referring individuals to those third …
PRESS RELEASE

Cartel Money Launderer Sentenced to 96 Months in Federal Prison

… Intermex Wire Transfer, LLC. Sanchez-Rios admitted that from 2016 through 2018, she used the business to launder the … of CJNG. Sanchez-Rios’ role was to receive U.S. currency from multiple individuals working for the CJNG, which she knew were the drug trafficking proceeds and derived from a criminal offense.  Sanchez-Rios then wired that money …
PRESS RELEASE

Two Sentenced for Role in Maryland-to-Virginia Heroin Pipeline & Overdose Death

… charged as part of a conspiracy that trafficked heroin from Maryland to Virginia leading to at least one fatal and … Kidwell and his wife Norma Kidwell repeatedly traveled from their home in Shenandoah County to Maryland to obtain heroin from the Maryland-based drug-trafficking organization. At …
PRESS RELEASE

Baltimore drug dealer assaults, robs and shoots man, then rams his car, sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison

… According to the testimony presented at his five-day trial, from at least October 2016 through Dec. 12, 2016, Williams … knew where Williams lived, Williams took his drugs from his residence and took them to his girlfriend’s home in … kilos of cocaine, several pounds of marijuana and two guns from the house. Witnesses testified that several more pounds …
PRESS RELEASE

New Bern Heroin and Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced to 118 Months in Prison

… After conducting several controlled purchases of heroin from Bryant, Craven County Sheriff’s Office deputies witnessed him make a drug sale from his car.  Deputies observed Bryant return home and then … items along the chase route they had witnessed were thrown from the car including the large plastic bag at the church …
PRESS RELEASE

Two Armed Methamphetamine Traffickers Handed Down Lengthy Prison Sentences

… Two Armed Methamphetamine Traffickers Handed Down Lengthy Prison Sentences September 30, 2022 … who at the time was on post-release supervision stemming from a state drug conviction, sold methamphetamine to an … and seized four firearms, which Henry was prohibited from possessing. In February 2019, Brooks and Henry robbed …