DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
560 Results - Showing 181 to 190
PRESS RELEASE

Two Mexican Cartel Members Found Guilty of Violating RICO Statute

EL PASO – A federal jury convicted two Sinaloa Cartel members on Friday for their roles in the Sinaloa Cartel’s narcotics distribution operations. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Arturo Shows Urquidi, aka “Chous,” 50, of Juarez, Mexico and Mario Iglesias-Villegas, aka “Dos,” “El 2,” “Delta,” “Parka,”...
PRESS RELEASE

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

PHOENIX - 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. Last April, residents of Arizona turned...
PRESS RELEASE

Funeral Arrangements for DEA Supervisory Special Agent Michael G. Garbo

PHOENIX, Ariz. – A public funeral for Drug Enforcement Administration Supervisory Special Agent Michael G. Garbo will be held on Friday, October 8, 2021, at Calvary Chapel in Tucson. Special Agent Garbo died Monday as a result of injuries sustained during a shooting in downtown Tucson. Friday’s service will honor...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA El Paso and Partners Light Star on the Mountain Red

EL PASO – To commemorate Red Ribbon Week, Fire Prevention Week, and National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Drug Enforcement Administration El Paso Division, the El Paso Association of Firefighters Local 51, El Paso Electric, Texas Gas Service, YWCA El Paso Del Norte Region, and the El Paso Chamber partnered...
PRESS RELEASE

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

PHOENIX - 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 surge...
PRESS RELEASE

Albuquerque Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 32 years in Prison

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Javier Jaquez, 50, of Albuquerque, was sentenced on Aug. 26 to 32 years in federal prison. On Sept. 18, 2020, Jaquez pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 100 grams and more of heroin, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being...
PRESS RELEASE

Ceramic Art Concealed 3.4 Kilograms of Methamphetamine

PECOS, Texas – A federal jury convicted a Dallas man last Thursday for possessing methamphetamine. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Oscar Santiago Garcia Sanchez, 32, drove a vehicle with a trailer filled with ceramic art pieces into the Presidio Port of Entry. During inspection, Customs and...
PRESS RELEASE

Man Indicted for Distribution of Oxymorphone Causing Death

EL PASO – A federal grand jury in El Paso returned an indictment last week charging an El Paso man with distribution of a controlled substance causing death. According to court documents, on or about March 11, 2019, Michael Martinez, 30, distributed oxymorphone, also known as numorphan, to another individual...
PRESS RELEASE

Former El Paso Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Aid Cocaine Distribution

EL PASO – A former El Paso police officer pleaded guilty on Aug. 9, 2021 to conspiracy to maintain a drug-involved premise. According to court documents, Monica Garcia, 24, conspired with Fred Saenz, her stepfather and co-defendant, to use Saenz’s residence to distribute cocaine. Agents determined that Saenz was using...
PRESS RELEASE

Tucson Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Five Years

TUCSON, Ariz. - Oscar Alberto Martinez, 27, of Tucson, Arizona was sentenced on August 5th, 2021, by U.S. District Judge John C. Hinderaker to five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Martinez previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl. Martinez operated as...