DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
1065 Results - Showing 201 to 210
PRESS RELEASE

Scheme to Transport Stolen Catalytic Converters Across State Lines Results in Prison Time

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a scheme to transport tens of thousands of stolen catalytic converters across state lines as part of a multi-million-dollar business. Eric Kaltenbach, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to...
PRESS RELEASE

Five Defendants Indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute Meth in Missouri

SPRINGFIELD CITY, Mo. – Five defendants have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Texas County, Mo., and for illegally possessing firearms. Richard D. Sims, 61, and his wife, Billie J. Sims, 51, both of Texas County, Mo., Nathan K...
PRESS RELEASE

Jury Convicts St. Louis Man of Meth Trafficking

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A St. Louis man traveling by bus from Los Angeles has been convicted in a federal jury trial of possessing methamphetamine to distribute after more than 31 pounds of methamphetamine was found in his luggage at a Kansas City, Mo., bus station. Cregg L. Matthews, 56...
PRESS RELEASE

California Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A California man pleaded guilty in federal court today to smuggling more than 33,000 counterfeit pills that contained nearly four kilograms of fentanyl aboard a bus traveling through Kansas City, Missouri, from Los Angeles, Calif. Matthew J. Gomez, 28, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard...
PRESS RELEASE

Texas Man Sentenced for Transporting Cocaine

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A man from Texas was sentenced to four years and nine months in federal prison after he admitted to transporting a kilogram of cocaine to Illinois. In addition to the prison sentence, Henry Garcia-Blanco, 28, of Irving, Texas, will serve three years of supervised release...
PRESS RELEASE

Fentanyl and Meth Dealer Sentenced to 15+ Years

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A U.S. District sentencing judge ordered a Cahokia Heights man to spend 15 years and eight months in federal prison after he admitted to distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine and possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute the drugs in St. Clair County, Illinois. Nickolas...
PRESS RELEASE

Meth Dealer Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Louis Melvin Williamson, 51, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Williamson’s sentence to be served consecutively to any sentence imposed...
PRESS RELEASE

Drug Dealer Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for One Fatal, Two Nonfatal Drug Overdoses

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a man who provided the drugs that caused one fatal and two nonfatal overdoses in St. Charles, Missouri, to 35 years in prison. Ledra A. Craig, 46, of Wright City, Mo., was also ordered to pay $8,544 for...
PRESS RELEASE

Six Members of St. Louis Drug Ring Linked to Murders Plead Guilty

ST. LOUIS – Six members of a St. Louis drug ring linked to two murders have pleaded guilty in the last eight days. In all, 17 defendants were charged in the case, and all have now pleaded guilty. One of the leaders, Maurice Herbert Lee II, 35, pleaded guilty May...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Operation Last Mile Tracks Down Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartel Associates Operating within the United States

ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced the results of a year-long national operation, “Operation Last Mile,” targeting operatives, associates, and distributors affiliated with the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels responsible for the last mile of fentanyl and methamphetamine distribution on our streets and on social media. DEA’s top...