DEA Archived Press Releases

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

DEA and its Partners Remove More than 670,000 Pounds of Unused Medications

ST. LOUIS – DEA and its local law enforcement partners collected 670,136 pounds of unused medications during the 26th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 27, 2024. DEA St. Louis Division collected a total of 26,000 pounds from its region, including the states of Missouri and Kansas, as...
PRESS RELEASE

Darknet Vendor Who Sold Millions of Fake Xanax Pills Sentenced

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced a man who sold millions of counterfeit Xanax pills on the Darknet to two years in prison, fined him $10,000 and ordered him to forfeit nearly $1 million. Brandon Adams, 27, will also be on supervised release for...
PRESS RELEASE

Seattle Man Sentenced for Buying 630,000 Counterfeit Pills on the Dark Web

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Court Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a man who bought 630,000 counterfeit Xanax and other pills on the dark web to five years in prison and ordered him to pay a $10,000 fine. Maximillian Gregory Verbowski will also be on supervised release for...
PRESS RELEASE

Dark Web Dealer of Meth, Heroin Heads to Prison

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for selling methamphetamine and heroin on the dark web. John M. LeCoque, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered LeCoque to...
PRESS RELEASE

Slovakian Man Accused of Running Darknet Market Selling Drugs and Personal Information

ST. LOUIS – A Slovakian man was indicted this week on charges that accuse him of running a darknet market that sold drugs and stolen personal information. Investigators have shut down the market. Alan Bill, 30, of Bratislava, was charged by complaint in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Dec...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Day Removes Almost 600,000 Pounds of Unneeded Prescription Medications Across the Country

ST. LOUIS – On Oct. 28, 2023, the community once again emptied their medicine cabinets to help dispose of old, unwanted, and expired medications. Nationwide, the Drug Enforcement Administration and its law enforcement partners collected 599,897 pounds of unneeded medications at 4,675 collection sites nationwide. Locally, the DEA St. Louis...
PRESS RELEASE

Seattle Man Admits Buying 630,000 Counterfeit Pills on the Dark Web

ST. LOUIS – A man from Seattle, Wash., on Thursday admitted buying 630,000 counterfeit Xanax and other pills on the dark web. Maximillian Gregory Verbowski, 28, pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to sell counterfeit drugs, selling counterfeit drugs and using a fictitious name on mail to commit...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Brings in nearly 745,000 Pounds of Unneeded Medications

ST. LOUIS – The Drug Enforcement Administration, along with its law enforcement partners, has removed close to 745,000 pounds of unneeded prescriptions from medicine cabinets across the country as part of DEA’s ongoing commitment to turn the tide against the U.S. opioid epidemic. Following last month’s 21st National Prescription Drug...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Announces Results of 20th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

ST. LOUIS – DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day collected 829,543 pounds (419.7 tons) of unused, expired, and unwanted medications across the country. The St. Louis Division collected 54,700 pounds of that grand total, with Missouri contributing about 33,000 pounds; Kansas, almost 19,000 pounds; and southern Illinois, 2,600 pounds...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA to hold 20th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

ST. LOUIS – The Drug Enforcement Administration is holding its 20th Take Back Day and invites the public to safely turn in expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs at designated collection sites from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 24, National Prescription Take Back Day. With studies indicating...