United States Drug Enforcement Administration

WASHINGTON – On June 28, Anne Milgram was sworn in as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration by U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland following confirmation by the U.S. Senate June 24. As DEA Administrator, she leads an agency of more than 10,000 people, including nearly 5,000 Special Agents and...

Baltimore, MD –Ronald Alexander, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and powder and crack cocaine. While participating in a narcotics conspiracy, Alexander was employed by “Safe Streets,” an organization working to reduce violence and crime in Baltimore through intervention. While he was engaged in the...

WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration today announced an important step to improve access to medications for opioid use disorder, especially in rural areas where those suffering with opioid use disorder may have limited treatment options. Under the final rule published today, DEA registrants who are authorized to dispense methadone...

ABINGDON, Va. – A Miami, Florida man pleaded guilty last week to conspiring with a Bristol, Tennessee man to pay and receive kickbacks. According to court documents, Michael Olshavsky, 51, of Miami, Florida, and John Paul Linke, 57, of Bristol, Tenn., conspired to receive and pay kickbacks to encourage urine...

Baltimore, MD – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III, sentenced Robert Bascom, age 48, of Baltimore, Maryland to eight years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 grams of heroin. The sentence was announced...

HARRISONBURG, Va. – A Winchester woman pleaded guilty today to distributing acetyl fentanyl and fentanyl. According to court documents, Jennifer Lynn Heishman, 37, of Winchester, Virginia, contacted an individual on February 23, 2019, to arrange a purchase of heroin. Later that evening, Heishman paid $100 for two foil packets of...

Baltimore, MD – Pedro Avalos, age 33, of Sun Valley, California, pleaded guilty today to attempted possession with intent to distribute at least five kilograms of a substance containing cocaine. The guilty plea was announced by Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Washington Division; Jonathan Lenzner, Acting...

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A husband and wife from Fairfax and their cousin from Spotsylvania were indicted last month for conspiring to distribute controlled substances in Virginia. According to court documents, Fahid Rashid, 30, Akhter Ahmed, 28, and Khalisah Khan, 29, conspired to traffic counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. The defendants, and...

NORFOLK, Va. – Today, a Jacksonville, Florida man was the sixth and final defendant to enter a guilty plea for his role in a multi-state anabolic steroid conspiracy that operated in multiple states across the country. According to court documents, law enforcement received information in February 2020 that Erik Eckert...

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Drug Enforcement Administration Museum and Visitors Center will present the next installment of its Lecture Series, “Disrupt, Dismantle, and Destroy: Smuggling Stories,” on June 17 at 1 p.m. Join host Josh Edmundson, the DEA Museum’s Curator of Education, for a live, virtual discussion with DEA experts...