United States Drug Enforcement Administration

(ATLANTA, Ga.) – Edgar Valdez-Villareal, a/k/a La Barbie, who was born in the U.S. and rose to be a high-level leader of Mexico’s Beltran-Leyva Cartel, has been sentenced to 49 years and one month in federal prison on charges of cocaine trafficking and money laundering. “Edgar Valdez-Villareal a/k/a “La Barbie”...

(CHARLOTTE, N.C.) – R. Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, announced today that Dr. Michael Alson Smith, 65, a former Mt. Holly, N.C. family practice physician, appeared in federal court today and pleaded guilty to drug distribution, health care fraud, and aggravated identity theft charges...

(ATLANTA) – Victor Aguirre-Rodriguez was sentenced to federal prison for his role in a Mexican methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking organization that distributed approximately 100 kilograms of methamphetamine per week (valued at $1.75 million per week) in the Atlanta area. Aguirre-Rodriguez was convicted by a federal jury on February 16, 2018...

MACON - Charles E. Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that Eulalio Martinez, age 38, a citizen of Mexico residing in Alma, Georgia, has been found guilty of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine 4,923 grams of pure (Count 1) and Illegal (Count 2), following...

RALEIGH, N.C. - The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announces the arrest of Akram Abdel-Aziz, 50, on drug related charges. Abdel-Aziz is charged in a criminal complaint with the possession with intent to distribute a quantity of 5F-ADB, a synthetic cannabinoid...

RALEIGH, N.C. - Jorge Armando Ramirez-Lira, also known as Negro, Jorge Beltran-Carillo, and Edgar Nava-Baltazar, was sentenced to an additional eight years and one month in prison for importing heroin into the U.S. from Colombia and laundering the drug proceeds. “DEA is fully committed to tirelessly pursuing criminals who sell...

ATLANTA - Charles E. Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that on March 15, 2018, Senior United States District Comi Judge Hugh Lawson sentenced Burt Denson, age 41, of Quitman, GA, to 185 months imprisonment for two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr. sentenced today Derek Joseph Parker, 33, of Indian Trail, N.C. to 20 years in federal prison for his role in drug trafficking conspiracy that resulted in a heroin overdose death, announced R. Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District...

COFFEE COUNTY, Ga - Vernon Keenan, Director of the Georgia Bureau of (GBI) and Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’(DEA) Atlanta Division announce that the Southeastern Regional Drug Enforcement Office, along with the DDEA, the Douglas Coffee Drug Unit, the Douglas Police Department...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - U.S. Attorney R. Andrew Murray announced today the distribution of $730,296 in federally-forfeited funds to state and local law enforcement agencies, resulting from a forfeiture action against convicted drug trafficker James Alexander Brown. The Justice Department recovered more than $1 million from Brown, of which 80 percent...