DEA Archived Press Releases

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

Repeat Offender Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Distributing Drugs for a Transnational Drug Trafficking Ring

SEATTLE – A 50-year-old Washington State man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to seven years in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl pills, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Preston Joseph Smith was arrested in December 2021 in Port Angeles, Washington on allegations he...
PRESS RELEASE

Spokane Man Sentenced for Involvement in Shooting Death of Idaho Teen

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho--Dennen Trey George Fitterer-Usher, 24, of Spokane Valley, Washington, was sentenced this week to more than 14 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to court records, in 2021, Fitterer-Usher met...
PRESS RELEASE

Spanaway, Washington Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Key Role in Drug Distribution Ring

Seattle – A 61-year-old Spanaway, Washington man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to eight years in prison for his key role in a large drug distribution ring, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Dwayne Douglas George was indicted in November 2021, along with 16 other defendants. George...
PRESS RELEASE

Joint Operation Targets Drug Distribution Ring in Whatcom, Skagit, and Snohomish Counties

SEATTLE – Six members of a drug distribution conspiracy operating in Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties are charged federally with various drug and firearms crimes. On Wednesday, in searches of eight locations in Whatcom and Snohomish Counties, law enforcement seized: 85,000 fentanyl pills, 2.3 kilograms fentanyl powder, 6.2 kilograms methamphetamine...
PRESS RELEASE

Drug Dealing Husband and Wife Sentenced to Federal Prison

EUGENE, Ore.—A Douglas County couple known for distributing drugs was sentenced to federal prison today after they were linked to the overdose death of man to whom they had sold drugs to for more than a year. Brian Joseph Ramos, 49, and Christine Marie Ramos, 41, residents of Yoncalla, Oregon...
PRESS RELEASE

Eastern Washington Man Sentenced to 168 Months in Federal Prison for Fentanyl Trafficking

Spokane, Wash. – Antoinne James Holmes, age 23, of Cusick, Washington, located in Northeast Washington, was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison. Holmes pleaded guilty on April 7, 2022 to Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl. Holmes’ sentence will run concurrently with a 151-month sentence imposed for related conduct in Idaho...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA, FBI, and Seattle Police Seize 2 RVs Packed with Meth and Fentanyl

SEATTLE – Three significant drug trafficking groups responsible for trafficking more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine and hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills are facing federal charges tonight. Federal investigators and local law enforcement partners seized two RVs packed with meth and fake pills after they were driven from California...
PRESS RELEASE

Washington Man Sentenced for Involvement in Idaho Teen's Death

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Antoinne James Holmes, 23, of Cusick, Washington, was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison for distribution of fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury and death. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill sentenced Holmes to 151 months in prison and ordered that he pay...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Warns of Brightly-Colored Fentanyl Used to Target Young Americans

SEATTLE, Wash. – he Drug Enforcement Administration is advising the public of an alarming emerging trend of colorful fentanyl available across the United States. In August 2022, DEA and our law enforcement partners seized brightly-colored fentanyl and fentanyl pills in 26 states. Dubbed “rainbow fentanyl” in the media, this trend...
PRESS RELEASE

Leader of International Drug Trafficking Organization Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges

SEATTLE, Wash. – One of the leaders of a violent international drug trafficking organization that distributed heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine in the Puget Sound region pleaded guilty Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Jose Elias Barbosa, 37, of Kent, Washington, faces a mandatory minimum ten years in prison...