DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
14 Results - Showing 1 to 10
PRESS RELEASE

Armed Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 8 Years on Federal Drug and Firearms Offenses

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...
PRESS RELEASE

National Healthcare Fraud Enforcement Action Results in Charges involving more than $1.4 Billion in Alleged Losses

WASHINGTON: A strategically coordinated, six-week nationwide federal law enforcement action has resulted in criminal charges against 138 defendants, including 42 doctors, nurses, and other licensed medical professionals, in 31 federal districts across the United States for their alleged participation in various healthcare fraud schemes for more than $1.4 billion in...
PRESS RELEASE

Mt. Pleasant doctor found guilty in federal court of opioid trafficking after Columbia pharmacy visit

CHARLESTON, S.C. – United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Dr. Ronald A. Hargrave, 60, of Mt. Pleasant, has been convicted of illegal distribution of controlled substances after a four-day jury trial in federal court in Charleston. Senior United States District Judge Margaret B. Seymour of Charleston presided...
PRESS RELEASE

Chinese national pleads guilty for failing to report foreign national bank account

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Lili Bian, a 59-year old citizen of China and a lawful permanent resident of the United States living in Charlotte, appeared in federal court today and pleaded guilty to failing to report a foreign bank account with a balance exceeding $10,000, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western...
PRESS RELEASE

Jury finds podiatrist guilty of operating pill mill

ATLANTA – Dr. Arnita Avery-Kelly, a licensed podiatrist, has been found guilty on federal charges of illegally prescribing opioid painkillers and other drugs at clinic locations purporting to provide podiatric care in Sandy Springs and Lithonia, Ga. “While in the midst of this country’s prescription opioid crisis, removing and ultimately...
PRESS RELEASE

Six indicted in drug conspiracy that included production and distribution of power synthetic opioid

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Five men and a woman have been indicted in federal court, charged with operating a wide-ranging drug conspiracy that included mass production of pills and possession with intent to distribute a powerful synthetic opioid. As outlined in the six-count indictment in U.S. District Court and from testimony...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA’s 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day yields fruitful results in Georgia

ATLANTA – Georgians participating in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Initiative held on Saturday, April 27, 2019, turned in 11,114 pounds of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal at sites set up throughout the state. The amount collected was the...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA’s 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day yields fruitful results in South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolinians participating in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Initiative held on Saturday, April 27, 2019, turned in 11, 825 pounds of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal at sites set up throughout the state. The amount...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA’s 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day yields fruitful results in North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – North Carolinians participating in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Initiative held on Saturday, April 27, 2019, turned in 8,968 pounds of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal at sites set up throughout the state. The amount collected...
PRESS RELEASE

U.S. Attorney Byung “BJay” Pak issues progress report

ATLANTA – The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia remains resolute in fighting the opioid epidemic that has plagued communities throughout the United States. According to the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention, more than 140 Americans die daily from an opioid overdose, and in 2017, nearly...