United States Drug Enforcement Administration

ST. LOUIS - Matthew R. Barden, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA St. Louis Division, today announced two significant prison sentences handed down by the U.S. Courts as the result of great investigative work by the DEA Springfield, Missouri office. Santiago Soto-Garcia, 25, of Joplin, received a 25-year...

CHICAGO - An Elmwood Park man has been charged with federal drug offenses for allegedly importing a fentanyl analogue from China to the Chicago area. Rolando Estrada, 42, imported furanyl fentanyl from China in the summer of 2016, according to an indictment returned this week in federal court in Chicago...

ST. LOUIS - Matthew Barden, Associate Special Agent in Charge of the DEA St. Louis Division, announces substantial prison sentences as the result of two large-scale drug investigations, led by the DEA office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In one case, Ryan Buchheim, 48, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received a 20-year...

CHICAGO - Today, Special Agent in Charge Brian M. McKnight, along with United States Attorney Gregory G. Brooker announced the sentencing of Marco Antonio Avila, 30, to 26 years in prison for his leadership role in a Rochester-based methamphetamine and cocaine distribution organization. AVILA, who pleaded guilty on May 30...

CHICAGO - A federal judge in Chicago has sentenced a suburban man to 16 years in prison for leading a Chicago-area cell of an international drug trafficking organization. Jesus Salgado ran a stash house in Bensenville where heroin and cash from drug sales were stored. He also sold drugs in...

CHICAGO - Americans nationwide did their part to drop off a record number of unused, unwanted or expired prescription medications during the DEA’s 15th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, at close to 6,000 sites across the country. Together with a record-setting amount of local, state and federal partners, DEA...

CHICAGO - Were you a participant? If so, the Drug Enforcement Administration and its national, tribal, and community partners give a special “THANK YOU” to all who participated in the 15th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, April 28, 2018. “Take Back Day helps to keep drugs out of...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The manager of a Springfield, Ill., establishment known as Mystic Enchantments has been arrested and charged by complaint in an ongoing investigation of distribution of synthetic cannabinoids, known as Spice or K2. Letha Dean, 71, of Salisbury, Ill., was arrested on April 13, and was ordered detained...

ST. LOUIS - Matt Barden, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the St. Louis Division Office, today announced that Robert “Bobby” Whitenack, 37, a convicted felon from Westside, Iowa, was convicted on the charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking...

CHICAGO - The U.S. Attorney’s Office today charged three individuals with federal drug offenses for allegedly conspiring to sell synthetic cannabinoids at a Chicago convenience store. Fouad Masoud, Jamil Abdelrahman Jad Allah, and Adil Khan Mohammed conspired to sell the synthetic cannabinoids, known as “K2,” at King Mini Mart in...