DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
68 Results - Showing 1 to 10
PRESS RELEASE

Trafficker smuggling large quantities of deadly fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine sentenced to 168 months

SAN DIEGO – April Spring Kelly, of San Diego, was sentenced in federal court on Friday to 14 years in prison for conspiring to smuggle more than 450,000 fentanyl pills from Mexico into the United States during a nine-month period ending in October 2018. According to admissions in her plea...
PRESS RELEASE

Local trafficker distributing methamphetamine in North San Diego County sentenced to 10 years

SAN DIEGO – Orlando Balderas Guerrero, of Menifee, Calif., was sentenced in federal court today to 10 years in custody for participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. According to his plea agreement, Guerrero admitted that for a one-year period, he obtained bulk methamphetamine from a broker in Mexico and...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA and FDA shut down 44 websites advertising illegal vaping cartridges

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the seizure of 44 website domains offering to sell illicit vaping cartridges containing THC and other adulterated substances. This enforcement effort – part of Operation Vapor Lock – is a result of DEA’s continued...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA and U.S. Coast Guard announce 18,000 pound cocaine offload in San Diego

SAN DIEGO – The DEA and U.S. Coast Guard announced today a significant offload of drugs seized in international waters in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Agents with the DEA and the crew of the USCG Cutter Bertholf offloaded 18,000 pounds of cocaine – worth an estimated $312 million – at...
PRESS RELEASE

Attorney General William P. Barr announces launch of Operation Relentless Pursuit

DETROIT – Today, Attorney General William P. Barr announced the launch of Operation Relentless Pursuit, an initiative aimed at combating violent crime in seven of America’s most violent cities through a surge in federal resources. Joined at a press conference in Detroit by DEA Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon, ATF Acting...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA investigation leads to 36 arrests in fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine conspiracy

CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged 36 individuals with crimes related to narcotics and money laundering conspiracies in an indictment that was unsealed today. Those charged include 22 local individuals. Law enforcement agents arrested all 36 defendants late last week and over the weekend. According to the indictment...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA issues warning over counterfeit prescription pills from Mexico

WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration is alerting the public of dangerous counterfeit pills killing Americans. Mexican drug cartels are manufacturing mass quantities of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic opioid that is lethal in minute doses, for distribution throughout North America. Based on a sampling of tablets...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA and partners collect thousands of pounds of unwanted medications and vaping products during the 18th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

WASHINGTON – Americans nationwide have once again shown their strong support for DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day by dropping off nearly 883,000 pounds of medications during the October 2019 Take Back event. DEA, along with its law enforcement partners, has now collected nearly 12.7 million pounds of expired...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA and partners collect thousands of pounds of unwanted medications and vaping products during the 18th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

SAN DIEGO – Americans nationwide have once again shown their strong support for DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day by dropping off nearly 883,000 pounds of medications during the October 2019 Take Back event. DEA, along with its law enforcement partners, has now collected nearly 12.7 million pounds of...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA issues warning over counterfeit prescription pills from Mexico

SAN DIEGO – The Drug Enforcement Administration is alerting the public of dangerous counterfeit pills killing Americans. Mexican drug cartels are manufacturing mass quantities of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic opioid that is lethal in minute doses, for distribution throughout North America. Based on a sampling of...