United States Drug Enforcement Administration

PHOENIX – On September 28, 2022, a grand jury in Phoenix, Arizona, returned a 34-count indictment against nine individuals, including: Yvette Porras-Ochoa, 40, of Wittmann, Arizona Ricardo Ochoa, 41, of Mesa, Arizona Kourtney Moore, 40, of Akron, Ohio George Martinez-Aviles, M.D., 55, of Peoria, Arizona Vanessa Quijada, 36, of Phoenix...

PHOENIX – The Drug Enforcement Administration will host its 23rd National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event offers anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 local drop-off locations nationwide. Last April, residents of Arizona turned in 8,215...

TUCSON, Ariz. – Gabriel Joseph Bustamante, 43, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced on September 28, 2022by United States District Judge Rosemary Márquez to 17.5 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Bustamante previously pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Felon in Possession of...

PHOENIX - Alexandro Luis Gomez, 30, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced on September 28, 2022, by United States District Judge Rosemary Márquez to 17 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Gomez previously pleaded guilty to Distribution of a Controlled Substance connected to the overdose death of...

PHOENIX - Maria Fernanda Granillo-Velazquez, 21, of Mexico, was charged on August 19, 2022, by criminal complaint for Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl. Granillo-Velazquez had her initial appearance on August 22, 2022, before United States Magistrate Judge Michael T. Morrissey. The case is set for trial on November 1...

PHOENIX – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration today announced the results of an enforcement operation that spanned from May to September and resulted in significant fentanyl seizures across the United States. “On the frontline as we race to save lives, DEA Arizona continues to seize historic amounts of deadly fentanyl,”...

PHOENIX - In February 2021, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Phoenix Field Division rolled out the Operation Engage initiative in Yavapai County and the team hit the ground running partnering with many local and national agencies to help promote drug prevention awareness. One of those partnerships has been with Community...

PHOENIX - Diego Armando Equihua-Sanchez, 31, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced on August 18th, 2022, by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 60 months in prison, followed by 60 months of supervised release. Equihua-Sanchez previously pleaded guilty to Aiding and Abetting Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine. Equihua-Sanchez...

PHOENIX - Special Agent in Charge Cheri Oz and Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced Luis Torres Jaramillo was sentenced to 9.25 years prison on July 13, 2022 for his involvement in a drug trafficking organization. On July 22, 2021, police arrested Jaramillo after observing him conduct a drug transaction...

TUCSON, Ariz. – Last week, Jamaar Charles Samuels, 39, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Scott H. Rash to 72 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. Last summer, Judge Rash sentenced Samuels’ co-defendant, Patrick Michael La Fever, 60, also of Tucson, to 97...