United States Drug Enforcement Administration

PHILADELPHIA - Gary Tuggle, Special Agent-in-Charge of DEA’s Philadelphia Field Division announced the release of its Analysis of Overdose Deaths in Pennsylvania, 2016 report at a news conference today. Key findings from the report indicate that in 2016, 4,642 drug-related overdose deaths were reported by Pennsylvania coroners and medical examiners...

PHOENIX, Ariz. - The Drug Enforcement (DEA) and Homeland Security (HSI) executed multiple search and arrest warrants today, closing two valley pharmacies and arresting a pharmacist as part of an ongoing OCDETF-designated investigation. On June 28, 2017, agents obtained an indictment from a federal grand jury charging pharmacist Vilawoe Aku...

June 08 , 2017 Contact: Public Information Officer (215) 852-8740 PHILADELPHIA - Gary Tuggle, Special Agent-in-Charge of the DEA Philadelphia Field Division announced that 4,642 drug-related overdose deaths were reported by coroners and medical examiners in Pennsylvania for 2016. This number represents a 37 percent increase in overdose deaths from...

PHOENIX, Ariz. - The DEA announced the sentencing of Dale Thomas Ratcliffe, a former Doctor of Osteopathy, to 5 years’ probation and the surrender of his medical license, after Ratcliffe was indicted on multiple federal charges earlier this year. Ratcliffe plead guilty to conspiracy to furnish false information after the...

PHOENIX - The DEA’s Phoenix Field Division has finished recording the total amount of drugs collected from those agencies who participated in Saturday’s National Take Back event. Once again, Arizonans turned out in significant numbers and disposed of 9,576.35 pounds, over four tons, of prescription drugs. The total for this...

May 02 , 2017 Contact: Public Information Officer (215) 852-8740 PHILADELPHIA - Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Tuggle of DEA’s Philadelphia Field Division announced today that 42,950.43 pounds of prescription drugs were collected across Pennsylvania and Delaware by DEA and its partner agencies during the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day event this...

PHOENIX - DEA announced the 13th National Prescription Drug Take-Back will take place April 29th from 10 am-2 pm local time. As with the previous Take-Back events, sites will be set up throughout communities nationwide so local residents can anonymously return their unwanted, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs for safe...

PHILADELPHIA - Special Agent in Charge Gary Tuggle of the Drug Enforcement Administration’(DEA) Philadelphia Field Division announced today that the DEA will sponsor a play entitled Off-Script for the students of Cornell High School in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania as part of the DEA’s ongoing 360 Strategy to address prescription opioid and...

PHOENIX - The DEA is alerting all citizens to drug overdose deaths tied to counterfeit pills laced with powerful opioid fentanyl. Manufactured by Mexican drug trafficking (DTOs) and sold as oxycodone on the illicit drug market, fentanyl is an opioid 100 times stronger than morphine. These counterfeit pills are smuggled...

PHILADELPHIA - Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Tuggle of the DEA Philadelphia Field Division announced today that DEA will train members of the Hermitage Police Department in Mercer County on the use of Naloxone that was purchased for them through funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol (DDAP). In 2015...