DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
482 Results - Showing 71 to 80
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Holds National Prescription Drug Take Back Day to Turn the Tide Against the U.S. Opioid Epidemic

NEW ORLEANS – The Drug Enforcement Administration will host its 21st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event offers free and anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 local drop-off locations nationwide. According to a report published...
PRESS RELEASE

Department of Justice and DEA Announce Seizures of Historic Amounts of Deadly Fentanyl-Laced Fake Pills in Public Safety Surge to Protect U.S. Communities

NEW ORLEANS - Today, at a press conference, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram announced a significant law enforcement surge to protect American communities from the flood of fentanyl and fentanyl-laced pills across the United States. Illicit fentanyl, a synthetic opioid found in most of...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Issues Public Safety Alert on Sharp Increase in Fake Prescription Pills Containing Fentanyl and Meth

NEW ORLEANS - Today, the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a Public Safety Alert warning Americans of the alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. DEA’s Public Safety Alert, the first in six years, seeks to raise public awareness of a significant nationwide...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Issues Warning Over Counterfeit Pills

NEW ORLEANS – DEA is alerting all citizens to an increase in drug overdose deaths tied to counterfeit pills containing the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl. Manufactured by Mexican drug trafficking (DTOs), and marketed as a medication such as oxycodone on the illicit drug market, these pills can be deadly. One...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Rolls Out Operation Engage

NEW ORLEANS – Today the United States Drug Enforcement Administration launched a new comprehensive law enforcement and prevention initiative aimed at reducing drug use, abuse, and overdose deaths. “Operation Engage” allows participating field divisions to focus on the biggest drug threat and resulting violence in their respective geographic areas. The...
PRESS RELEASE

20 gang members charged for drug trafficking and firearms violations in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On November 9, 2020, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging 20 violent gang members with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and firearms violations, announced W. Stephen...
PRESS RELEASE

Attorney General William P. Barr Joins DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea to Announce results of Operation Crystal Shield

NEW ORLEANS – Today, Attorney General William P. Barr and Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea announced the results of Operation Crystal Shield, DEA’s six-month-long effort targeting the command and control elements of Mexican cartels that operate major methamphetamine “transportation hubs” in the United States. At a press...
PRESS RELEASE

Member of large drug trafficking organization sentenced to over 10 years in federal prison

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Drug Enforcement Administration yesterday announced that a member of a large drug trafficking organization was sentenced. Byron A. Lawson, age 40, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was sentenced as part of Operation Hidden Fee, an extensive federal, state, and local investigation by the Middle District Organized...
PRESS RELEASE

Leader of large drug trafficking organization and five associates sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking

BATON ROUGE, La. – The leader of a large drug trafficking organization, James C. Hull, 41, of Baton Rouge, was sentenced as part of Operation Hidden Fee, an extensive federal, state and local investigation by the Middle District Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force aimed at a drug trafficking...
PRESS RELEASE

A member of Montgomery drug trafficking organization sentenced to 30 years for conspiracy, drug and gun charges

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – On Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019, Cyrus Phyfier, 51, of Montgomery, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for multiple drug and firearm related charges, announced DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Clay Morris, United States Attorney Louis V. Franklin, Sr., ATF Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson...