United States Drug Enforcement Administration

FLORENCE, S.C. — Raul Perales Guzman, 38, of San Luis, Mexico, was sentenced to more than 19 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and distribution of fentanyl. Evidence presented to the court showed that in June 2023, agents with the Drug Enforcement...

ELIZABETH CITY , N.C. – A Tarboro man was sentenced to 96 months in prison for armed drug trafficking. On March 5, 2024, Drako Butler, age 35, pled guilty to the charges. “Narcotics, guns, and money are a recipe for disaster,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “This Tarboro drug trafficker...

RALEIGH, N.C. – Today, United States Attorney Michael Easley announced that over the course of 2023, his office prosecuted 281 illegal firearm offenders resulting in the forfeiture of at least 249 illegally owned, possessed, used, or obtained firearms. Firearms that are criminally forfeited are removed from the possession of a...

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Today, Brandon Alan Purvis, 44, of Waynesville, N.C., was sentenced to 27 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for trafficking methamphetamine and illegal possession of a firearm, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Robert J. Murphy...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Benjamin James Hemphill, 24, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release today for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina...

SAVANNAH, GA: The leader of a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed kilos of cocaine and large amounts of other illegal drugs throughout the coastal Georgia area has been sentenced to more than 25 years in federal prison, concluding prosecution of Operation Deadlier Catch. Joseph Bulloch, a/k/a “Lil Joe,” 34, of...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced today that a federal jury has convicted Jonathan Craig Otuel, 36, of Stallings, N.C., of conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Otuel previously pleaded guilty...

RALEIGH, N.C. – Today, U.S. Attorney Michael Easley, along with federal and local law enforcement, provided information related to ongoing and coordinated efforts to target drug distribution in Sampson and Duplin Counties. Last week, a joint operation took place with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the...

DENVER– Last week, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced the results of a year-long national initiative, “Operation Last Mile,” which targeted operatives, associates, and distributors affiliated with the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels. Specifically, the operation targeted those in our communities responsible for the last mile of fentanyl and methamphetamine distribution...

BILLINGS, Mt. — Ten people were arrested on allegations of trafficking methamphetamine on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservations and in Yellowstone, Big Horn and Rosebud counties earlier this month. Seven defendants face charges in a multi-count indictment alleging meth trafficking, firearms and money laundering crimes. Four additional defendants...