United States Drug Enforcement Administration

OMAHA – Throughout 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division seized nearly 4.7 million lethal doses of fentanyl in both pill and powder form. Nationally, DEA investigators reported seizing more than 379 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl in a 12 month span, enough to kill every American. “The...

TUCSON, Ariz. - Ramon Antonio Monreal-Rodriguez, 36, of Vail, Arizona, was sentenced on December 14, by United States District Judge James A. Soto, to 152 months in prison and ordered to pay $151,000 in restitution to the U.S. Border Patrol for salary drawn while engaged in criminal activity. Monreal-Rodriguez previously...

TUCSON, Ariz. - A federal grand jury in Tucson, Arizona, returned a 19-count indictment on November 10, 2022, against 10 current or former southern Arizona residents, including: Alberto Gabriel Aranda-Ramon, 31, of Tucson, Arizona Michele Oller, 54, of Tucson, Arizona Larry William Nelson, Jr., 51, of Arizona Ashley Yvonne Maxwell...

MINNEAPOLIS – The family of fallen Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent Paul S. Seema was recognized during a bench dedication ceremony honoring Seema November 16, in New Prague, Minnesota. Seema died February 6, 1988, from gunshot wounds he received the previous day during an undercover operation in Pasadena, California...

PHOENIX – On Oct. 29, 2022, communities across the country demonstrated their continued support for DEA’s bi-annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day by safely disposing of more than 647,000 pounds of unneeded medications at nearly 5,000 collection sites across the country. Since its inception in 2010, DEA’s National Prescription...

PHOENIX – On September 28, 2022, a grand jury in Phoenix, Arizona, returned a 34-count indictment against nine individuals, including: Yvette Porras-Ochoa, 40, of Wittmann, Arizona Ricardo Ochoa, 41, of Mesa, Arizona Kourtney Moore, 40, of Akron, Ohio George Martinez-Aviles, M.D., 55, of Peoria, Arizona Vanessa Quijada, 36, of Phoenix...

PHOENIX – The Drug Enforcement Administration will host its 23rd National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event offers anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 local drop-off locations nationwide. Last April, residents of Arizona turned in 8,215...

OMAHA, Neb. – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division will join with communities across the nation in kicking off Red Ribbon Week, the nation’s oldest and largest drug misuse prevention awareness program, on Sunday, October 23. Landmarks across the five state division will light red in recognition of the...

TUCSON, Ariz. – Gabriel Joseph Bustamante, 43, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced on September 28, 2022by United States District Judge Rosemary Márquez to 17.5 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Bustamante previously pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Felon in Possession of...

OMAHA, Neb. – Agents and investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division engaged with members of rural communities while attending the Farm Progress Show, Husker Harvest Days and Minnesota State Fair in August and September. “The latest trends we’re seeing in the Midwest show all too well that...