DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
244 Results - Showing 71 to 80
PRESS RELEASE

Funeral Arrangements for DEA Supervisory Special Agent Michael G. Garbo

PHOENIX, Ariz. – A public funeral for Drug Enforcement Administration Supervisory Special Agent Michael G. Garbo will be held on Friday, October 8, 2021, at Calvary Chapel in Tucson. Special Agent Garbo died Monday as a result of injuries sustained during a shooting in downtown Tucson. Friday’s service will honor...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Issues Public Safety Alert on Sharp Increase in Fake Prescription Pills Containing Fentanyl and Meth

PHOENIX - Today, the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a Public Safety Alert warning Americans of the alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. DEA’s Public Safety Alert, the first in six years, seeks to raise public awareness of a significant nationwide surge...
PRESS RELEASE

Tucson Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Five Years

TUCSON, Ariz. - Oscar Alberto Martinez, 27, of Tucson, Arizona was sentenced on August 5th, 2021, by U.S. District Judge John C. Hinderaker to five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Martinez previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl. Martinez operated as...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Warning: Scammers Impersonating DEA Agents

PHOENIX – The Drug Enforcement Administration is warning the public of a widespread fraud scheme in which telephone scammers impersonate DEA agents in an attempt to extort money or steal personal identifiable information. A new public service announcement aims to raise awareness that DEA will never phone demanding money or...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Releases 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment

PHOENIX – DEA Acting Administrator D. Christopher Evans today announced the release of the 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment, DEA’s annual publication outlining the threats posed to the United States by domestic and international drug trafficking and the abuse of illicit drugs. “This year’s report shows the harsh reality of...
PRESS RELEASE

Cochise County man pleads guilty to transport of a narcotic drug for sale and misconduct involving weapons

SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. – Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced a Cochise County superior court judge sentenced Timothy Henry, a Sierra Vista drug distributor, to 14 years in prison. Henry’s co-defendants, Jaime Rene Leza, Jennifer Sue Phillips, and Shalmarie Tulk, were all previously convicted and sentenced for their role assisting Henry...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA announces launch of Operation Crystal Shield

WASHINGTON – Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon today announced that the DEA will direct enforcement resources to methamphetamine “transportation hubs” — areas where methamphetamine is often trafficked in bulk and then distributed across the country. While continuing to focus on stopping drugs being smuggled across the border, DEA’s...
PRESS RELEASE

Eleven arrested in DEA and AZDPS joint enforcement operation targeting Tucson drug traffickers

TUCSON, Ariz. – The Drug Enforcement Administration announced today the arrest of 11 people as the result of the culmination of a year-long joint investigation by the DEA’s Sierra Vista Resident Office along with the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Border Strike Force, into the alleged drug trafficking activities of...
PRESS RELEASE

Nearly 170,000 deadly fentanyl pills seized by DEA Task Force, Phoenix PD and Arizona DPS

PHOENIX – During an investigation into the drug trafficking activities of 24-year old Marcelino Ontiveros Quintero, DEA Task Force agents and detectives seized approximately 169,150 lethal fentanyl pills from Quintero and his associate, one of the largest fentanyl pill seizures in the state. The DEA Task Force, led by a...
PRESS RELEASE

Over six tons of prescription drugs and vaping devices collected in DEA Take Back

PHOENIX – The DEA’s Phoenix Division has finished totaling the amount of drugs collected from those agencies who participated in the October 26th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Arizonans turned out in massive numbers and disposed of 12,371.58 pounds, over six tons, of prescription drugs and vaping products. This...