DEA Archived Press Releases

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

San Antonio Man Sentenced to 28 Years in Federal Prison for Armed Pharmacy Robberies

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced to 339 months in federal prison for three counts of pharmacy robbery and three counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. According to court documents, from October to December 2020, Atseko Factor, 40, and...
PRESS RELEASE

Multiple Pharmaceutical Distributor Executives, Sales Representatives and Brokers Charged in Connection with Unlawful Sales of over 70M Opioid Pills

HOUSTON - Charges have been unsealed as part of a larger enforcement action related to the unlawful distribution of nearly 70 million opioid pills and over 30 million doses of other commonly abused prescription drugs to alleged Houston-area pill-mill pharmacies. Three Houston-area pharmacy operators were also charged for their role...
PRESS RELEASE

Chemical Importer to Pay $300,000 in Civil Penalties for Alleged Violations of the Controlled Substances Act

WACO, Texas – Shrieve Chemical Company, LLC, a Drug Enforcement Administration-registered importer and distributor of listed chemicals, has agreed to pay $300,000 in civil penalties to resolve allegations that it violated provisions of the Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. §§ 801 et seq. In December 2022, DEA diversion investigators conducted...
PRESS RELEASE

Former Physician is Sentenced to 30 Months after Conviction for Diverting Prescription Opioids

SAN ANTONIO – A former San Antonio doctor was sentenced in federal court yesterday to 30 months in prison for conspiring with others to dispense controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose. According to court documents, Paul Silva, 48, admitted that he unlawfully and fraudulently issued more than 500 prescriptions...
PRESS RELEASE

Clinic Office Manager Sentenced for Operating $1.2M Pill Mill Scheme

HOUSTON – A medical clinic office manager has been sentenced for operating a pill mill clinic that unlawfully distributed over 600,000 opioid pills, announced Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. A federal jury convicted Andres...
PRESS RELEASE

Physician Sentenced for $1.2M Pill Mill Scheme

HOUSTON – A Texas doctor has been sentenced to seven years in prison for operating a pill mill clinic that unlawfully prescribed over 600,000 opioid pills in exchange for cash. A federal jury convicted Dr. Oscar Lightner, 73, Laredo, April 11 of unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances and conspiracy...
PRESS RELEASE

Long-time Laredo Drug Dealer Heads to Prison for Selling “China White”

LAREDO, Texas – A 39-year-old man has been sentenced for possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux, Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Jose Pedro Garcia pleaded guilty Aug. 8. U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Day Removes Over 5400 Pounds of Unneeded Prescription Medications in Arizona

PHOENIX, Ariz. – On Oct. 28, 2023, Arizona residents once again emptied their medicine cabinets to help dispose of old, unwanted, and expired medications. In total, DEA Arizona and its law enforcement partners collected 5,414 pounds of unneeded medications at 80 collection sites statewide. Nationwide, DEA and its law enforcement...
PRESS RELEASE

Federal Court Orders San Antonio-Area Pharmacy and Pharmacist to Pay $275,000 Civil Penalty in Case Alleging Unlawful Opioid Distribution

San Antonio, TX A federal court in Texas ordered a San Antonio pharmacy and its pharmacist to pay a $275,000 civil penalty and imposed restrictions related to the dispensing of opioids and other controlled substances. Pursuant to an agreed consent judgment and permanent injunction, the court enjoined Zarzamora Healthcare LLC...
PRESS RELEASE

Pharmacist Convicted for Conspiring to Unlawfully Dispense Over 100,000 Opioid Pills

Houston, TX. – A federal jury in Houston convicted a Texas pharmacist yesterday for her role in a pill-mill pharmacy that unlawfully dispensed over 100,000 opioid pills in exchange for cash. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from January 2014 to January 2018, Deanna Winfield-Gates, 54, of...