DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
29 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

El Paso, Texas – On Oct. 26, DEA and over 4,400 law enforcement partners collected nearly 630,000 pounds of unused medications at 4,600 locations nationwide. The El Paso Division collected 1,657 pounds in West Texas and 3,393 pounds in New Mexico. This effort to empty medicine cabinets helps to prevent...
PRESS RELEASE

U.S. Attorney's Office, DEA and HSI Announce Charges Against Fourteen Individuals in Major Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

ALBUQUERQUE – This week, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Marshal Service, the Las Cruces Police Department, and the Doña Ana Sheriff’s Office, conducted a coordinated operation to dismantle a significant drug trafficking network in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The operation targeted 15...
PRESS RELEASE

Twenty-One Suspected El Paso Gang Affiliates Arrested for Alleged Drug Trafficking, Firearm Offenses

EL PASO, Texas – Twenty-one individuals suspected of being affiliated with the Chuco Tango street gang were arrested Thursday in and around El Paso on criminal charges related to their alleged involvement in trafficking of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine, and/or the unlawful possession of firearms. The following defendants were indicted...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA and its Partners Remove More than 670,000 Pounds of Unused Medications from Communities Nationwide

El Paso, Texas – DEA and its local law enforcement partners collected 670,136 pounds of unused medications during the 26th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 27, 2024. The El Paso Division collected 2,086 pounds in West Texas and 4,622 pounds in New Mexico. “Once again, the communities...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Enters 15th Year of Removing Unneeded Medications from Communities

El Paso – Together with its law enforcement partners, the Drug Enforcement Administration will host its 26th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event aims to remove unneeded prescriptions from homes to help prevent medication misuse by offering anonymous...
PRESS RELEASE

Three Defendants Arrested During 2023 Joint Enforcement Operation in Carlsbad Plead Guilty to Federal Drug Offenses

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...
PRESS RELEASE

Two More Defendants Arrested During 2023 Joint Enforcement Operation in Carlsbad Plead Guilty to Federal Drug Offenses

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...
PRESS RELEASE

Two Defendants Arrested During 2023 Joint Enforcement Operation in Carlsbad Plead Guilty to Conspiracy Charges

Note: View Purdy’s Plea Agreement . View Maldonado’s Plea Agreement . ALBUQUERQUE – Towanda 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 Brian Kain Purdy and Sabino Alfonso...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Day Removes Almost 600,000 Pounds of Unneeded Prescription Medications Across the Country

El Paso, Texas – On Oct. 28, 2023, the community once again emptied their medicine cabinets to help dispose of old, unwanted, and expired medications. Nationwide, DEA and its law enforcement partners collected 599,897 pounds of unneeded medications at 4,675 collection sites nationwide. Locally, the El Paso Division collected 4,409...
PRESS RELEASE

Drug Enforcement Administration Announces Fall Take Back Day

El Paso, Texas – On Saturday October 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Drug Enforcement Administration and various local agencies will host DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day at locations across the country. DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of...