DEA Archived Press Releases

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

Fentanyl Dealer Implicated in Two Fatal ODs Sentenced to 22+ Years in Prison

DALLAS, TX - A fentanyl dealer who admitted he was involved in at least three overdoses, two of them fatal, was sentenced Thursday to nearly 23 years in federal prison. Rhett Barclay, 23, was indicted in September 2023 and pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to possess with intent to...
PRESS RELEASE

Mom Pleads Guilty to Providing Fentanyl That Killed Her Sons’ Father

Dallas, TX - An Albuquerque mother who concealed a deadly dose of fentanyl inside her children’s luggage pleaded guilty yesterday to a federal drug crime. Magdalena Silva Banuelos, 47, was indicted in November 2022. She pleaded guilty Wednesday to distribution of fentanyl before U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn. In...
PRESS RELEASE

Fentanyl Distributors Charged Following Fourth Fatal Juvenile Overdose

Dallas, TX - Two distributors who supplied the fentanyl that killed a 15-year-old girl in Carrollton last week have been federally charged, announced Eduardo A. Chávez, Special Agent in Charge of DEA Dallas. The victim, is the fourth child to die of a fentanyl overdose in the area since September...
PRESS RELEASE

Dallas Man Sentenced to 14 years in Federal Prison for Supplying Fentanyl in Rowlett Overdose

DALLAS, TX – A Dallas man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for drug trafficking violations related to a 2021 overdose death, announced Special Agent in Charge Eduardo A. Chávez today. Robel Habtemariam, 20, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to manufacture and deliver fentanyl and was...
PRESS RELEASE

Supplier in Juvenile Fentanyl Overdoses Case Charged with Drug Conspiracy

DALLAS, TEXAS - A top source of supply in the Carrollton fentanyl overdoses case has been charged with a federal drug crime, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton. Jason Xavier Villanueva, 22, was charged via criminal complaint with conspiracy to distribute a Schedule II controlled...
PRESS RELEASE

Fentanyl Dealers Plead Guilty in Relation to Overdose Death of Oklahoma Man

DALLAS, TX - A Wichita Falls drug dealer and his ex-girlfriend who sold fentanyl to 27-year-old man who overdosed and died in June 2020 have plead guilty to drug crimes, announced Eduardo A. Chavez, Special Agent in Charge of DEA Dallas. Lionel DeSaun Henderson, 33, and his former girlfriend, Shameka...
PRESS RELEASE

Former Angels Communications Director Eric Kay Sentenced to 22 Years in Tyler Skaggs Overdose Case

Fort Worth, Texas - Ex- Los Angeles Angels employee Eric Kay was sentenced today to 22 years in federal prison in connection with the 2019 overdose death of Angles pitcher Tyler Skaggs, announced Eduardo A. Chavez, Special Agent in Charge of DEA Dallas. In February, a federal jury found former...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Holds Inaugural Family Summit on the Overdose Epidemic

WASHINGTON – On June 14 and 15, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram hosted the first-ever DEA Family Summit on the Overdose Epidemic for families from across the country who have experienced the profound loss of a child due to a drug overdose or poisoning. Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco delivered...
PRESS RELEASE

President Biden Releases National Drug Control Strategy to Save Lives, Expand Treatment, and Disrupt Trafficking

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Joe Biden sent his Administration’s inaugural National Drug Control Strategy to Congress at a time when drug overdoses have reached a record high. The Strategy delivers on the call to action in President Biden’s Unity Agenda through a whole-of-government approach to beat the overdose epidemic...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Warns of Increase in Mass-Overdose Events Involving Deadly Fentanyl

WASHINGTON – Today, the Drug Enforcement Administration sent a letter to federal, state, and local law enforcement partners warning of a nationwide spike in fentanyl-related mass-overdose events. Administrator Anne Milgram outlined the current threat and offered DEA support to law enforcement officers responding to these tragic incidents. “Fentanyl is killing...