DEA Archived Press Releases

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

Communities Nationwide Turn In Nearly 630,000 Pounds of Unneeded Medications on DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

WASHINGTON – On Oct. 26, DEA and over 4,400 law enforcement partners collected nearly 630,000 pounds of unused medications at 4,600 locations nationwide. This effort to empty medicine cabinets helps to prevent drug misuse before it starts. Locally, the DEA Washington Division, which includes the District of Columbia, Maryland, and...
PRESS RELEASE

U.S. Attorney’s Office and DEA Announce Fatal Fentanyl Overdose Task Force

Baltimore, Maryland – Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland and Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, announced that their agencies have formed the Maryland Fatal Fentanyl Overdose Task Force (“MFFOTF”). The alarming rate of overdoses in Maryland has...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Washington Division Calls on the Community to Have Important Conversations on Dangers of Drugs and Fake Pills in Back-To-School Routines

Washington, DC – As schools in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia open their doors to students and teachers this month, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Division is urging the community to have important conversations about the consequences of drug experimentation and misuse as the new school year...
PRESS RELEASE

Powerful Stories and Connections During DEA Washington Division’s 3rd Family Summit on Fentanyl

WASHINGTON, DC – On June 18, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Division hosted their 3rd Family Summit in support of those who have lost loved ones to fentanyl poisoning in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV). In alignment with DEA's mission, the event aimed to provide opportunities...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Washington Division Saw a Surge of Over 250% in Fentanyl Pill Seizures in 2023

Washington, DC – The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, which covers the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) confiscated more than 639,000 fentanyl pills and 189 pounds of fentanyl powder in 2023. This amount represents more than a three-fold increase in the number of fake pills laced with...
PRESS RELEASE

District Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison For Distributing Fentanyl That Killed Two People

WASHINGTON – Sheldon Marbley, 44, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 20 years in prison on five felony counts for running a drug trafficking operation in the Southwest section of the District that caused the deaths of two people and caused serious bodily injury to another two people. In...
PRESS RELEASE

Maryland U.S. Attorney Recognizes the Contributions of Law Enforcement Partners to Reduce Violent Crime in 2023

Baltimore, Maryland – At a press conference earlier today, U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron, thanked federal, state and local law enforcement partners in the fight against violent crime in Maryland. The teamwork, community-based partnerships, and strategic law enforcement initiatives helped make a difference in reducing homicides in Baltimore in 2023...
PRESS RELEASE

Retired Colombian Police General Sentenced To 13 Years For Conspiring To Provide Material Support To Terrorists

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Mauricio Santoyo Velasco, 53, ofColombia, was sentenced today to 13 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiring to provide material support and resources to the United Self-Defense Forces of (AUC), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for...
PRESS RELEASE

Hagerstown Drug Dealer Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison

BALTIMORE - U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced David Barnes, 32, of Hagerstown, Maryland, today to 15 years in prison followed by four years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine (crack cocaine) and cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine...
PRESS RELEASE

Baltimore Drug Dealer Exiled To 10 Years In Prison On Drug Charges

BALTIMORE - U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. sentenced Curtis Bird, 37, of Baltimore, today to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. The sentence was announced by...