DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
1498 Results - Showing 491 to 500
PRESS RELEASE

Blind Rapper Who Goes by ‘Mac Wayne’ Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Drug Distribution

SEATTLE – A legally blind rapper who was profiled in an Amazon Prime documentary, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to six years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Wayne Frisby aka ‘Mac Wayne,’37, of Snohomish County, Washington was arrested in December 2020, for his role...
PRESS RELEASE

International Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 8 Years

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Mexican national was sentenced to 100 months in prison in connection to an international drug ring that distributed large quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana from Mexico in the Kansas City area. According to court documents, in January 2021, Aron Rodriguez- Posada, 48, pleaded...
PRESS RELEASE

St. Louis Man Admits Federal Murder-for-Hire Plot

ST. LOUIS - A man from St. Louis pleaded guilty Monday to a murder-for-hire charge and a drug conspiracy charge and admitted trying to have a man who owed him more then $100,000 killed. Kevin Cunningham, 36, pleaded guilty Monday in front of U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig to...
PRESS RELEASE

Kirkland Man Charged with Drug Trafficking Offense Related to Recent Motel Robbery

SPOKANE, Wash – On Thursday, Scott Banchero, age 58, of Kirkland, Washington, was charged by federal criminal complaint with Possession with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A)(viii), according to Vanessa R...
PRESS RELEASE

Kansas City Man Sentenced for $1 Million Meth Conspiracy Near Elementary School

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy that converted large amounts of liquid methamphetamine into crystal methamphetamine at a rented house near George Melcher Elementary School in Kansas City, Mo. Ruben Ortiz-Vieyra, 43, a lawful permanent...
PRESS RELEASE

Idaho Man Sentenced to more than 10 years for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Heroin, Cocaine, and Fentanyl

BOISE, Idaho - A Wilder, Idaho man was sentenced to 124 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. According to court records, James Donavan Conour, 44, of Wilder, sold another person one pound of methamphetamine in exchange for $3,000 on January 21...
PRESS RELEASE

Hazelwood Man Admits Selling Fatal Dose of Fentanyl

ST. LOUIS – A man from Hazelwood, Missouri, admitted on Tuesday to selling fentanyl that killed a Lake St. Louis, Missouri, man last year. Stephen Paul Jefferson Jr., 37, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk to a felony charge of distribution of fentanyl. Jefferson admitted...
PRESS RELEASE

Two Men Plead Guilty in Retaliatory Drug Murder in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS – Two men from St. Louis County pleaded guilty Monday and admitted their involvement in a retaliatory murder in 2020. Cevone Weeden, 26, pleaded guilty Monday in front of U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White to two counts: conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled...
PRESS RELEASE

Former Nurse Sentenced to 18 Months in Federal Prison for Tampering with Morphine Medications at Moses Lake Clinic

SPOKANE, Wash. – Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Esther Rae Tuller, age 41, of Moses Lake, Washington, was sentenced today in federal court in Spokane for tampering with morphine medication while working as a registered nurse. Chief United States...
PRESS RELEASE

Idaho Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine Distribution

POCATELLO, Idaho – Melvin Misael Alcaraz-Valdez, of Declo, Idaho, was sentenced to federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit, today. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye sentenced Alcaraz-Valdez to 135 months. 11 years, 3 months. Alcaraz-Valdez, upon completion of his time...