United States Drug Enforcement Administration

ALBUQUERQUE – Three of the eight defendants indicted following a joint enforcement operation last year in Carlsbad, pleaded guilty in federal court to federal drug offenses. Carlos Venegas, Jr., 24, of Carlsbad, pleaded guilty on March 4, 2024, to one count each of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams and more...

Albuquerque, N.M. – As part of Operation Engage, DEA is hosting its fourth annual Citizen’s Academy this coming May and is now accepting applications. The deadline to submit an application is Tuesday April 30 at 11:59 p.m. The DEA Citizens Academy allows community leaders to gain an understanding of DEA’s...

ALBUQUERQUE – A federal judge sentenced an Albuquerque man to 57 months in federal prison for maintaining a drug-involved premises in southeast Albuquerque. As the manager of the Best Choice Inn, Kamal Bhula, 44, of Albuquerque, profited from in a kickback scheme that required drug traffickers and users to pay...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Towanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's El Paso Division, and Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that Danyell Kerr, Jr. was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Kerr, 32, of Albuquerque, pled guilty to...

ALBUQUERQUE – Towanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's El Paso Division, and Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced today that Kassandra Lee Perales and Jared Michael Moore, two of the 12 defendants arrested during a joint enforcement...

EL PASO – On Monday Feb. 26 beginning at midnight, t he Drug Enforcement Administration’s El Paso Division will be accepting applications for Special Agents to work in one of five local offices: El Paso, Midland, or Alpine, Texas or Las Cruces, Roswell, or Albuquerque, New Mexico. Upon completion of...

ALBUQUERQUE – T owanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration El Paso Division and Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced today that Pragneshkumar Patel and Johnathan Craft were sentenced to 30 and 70 months in prison, respectively, for...

OMAHA, Neb. – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has launched a new campaign encouraging the public to Make Every Day Take Back Day by utilizing year-round collection sites to dispose of unneeded and unwanted medications. The DEA has registered a record 17,000 pharmacies nationwide, including 1,106 within the five...

EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso man was sentenced in a federal court in El Paso to 130 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. According to court documents, Gary Everett Rinker, 56, sold approximately 200 pills containing 19.8 grams of fentanyl to a buyer at...

PECOS – An Anthony, New Mexico man was sentenced this week to 327 months in prison for his role in a drug trafficking organization that distributed cocaine. According to court documents, Gilberto Hernandez, aka “G”, 30, was the leader of the Hernandez drug trafficking organization (DTO). From August 2021 until...