DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
51 Results - Showing 1 to 10
PRESS RELEASE

Drug Trafficker Sentenced To 24 Years In Federal Prison

PHOENIX - On December 19, 2012, Doug Coleman, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement (DEA) Phoenix Field Division and U.S. Attorney John S. Leonardo announced that Francisco Alfredo Montes-Vargas, of Culiacan, Mexico, was sentenced to 292 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised...
PRESS RELEASE

Ten Members Of Fraudulent Prescription Ring Arrested

OAKLAND, Calif. - On December 18, 2012, ten people were arrested for their participation in a network that obtained significant quantities of prescription narcotics through forged prescriptions, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Anthony D. Williams and United States Attorney Melinda Haag announced. Among those arrested were Letitia Montgomery...
PRESS RELEASE

Eleven Members Convicted In Phoenix Area Marijuana Distribution Conspiracy

PHOENIX - On April 25, 2012, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a 76 count superseding indictment against 11 defendants charging them with multiple crimes including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, structuring financial transactions through a domestic financial institution and promotional money laundering. The defendants are...
PRESS RELEASE

Bakersfield Marijuana Business Owner Pleads Guilty

FRESNO, Calif. - David Chavez Sr., 53, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute marijuana, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Anthony D. Williams and United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal...
PRESS RELEASE

Second Devil’s Den Marijuana Cultivator Pleads Guilty

FRESNO, Calif. - Ramon Manjarrez-Del Vaal, 36, of Sinaloa, Mexico, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to cultivate, distribute and possess with intent to distribute 1,019 marijuana plants grown on a five-acre parcel of land in Devil’s Den in Kings County, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Anthony D. Williams...
PRESS RELEASE

Traffic Stops In San Joaquin, Shasta, And Nevada Counties Lead To Federal Narcotic Trafficking Charges

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Five defendants have been charged in three separate cases with narcotic trafficking, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Anthony D. Williams and U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner announced. A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment Wednesday charging Enrique Amezcua, 25, and Michael Anthony Robles, 23, both...
PRESS RELEASE

More Than 570 Pounds Of Crystal Methamphetamine Seized

SAN FRANCISCO - In what is one of the largest seizures of methamphetamine ever in the United States, more than 570 pounds of crystal methamphetamine with a street value of over $6 million; more than $160,000 in U.S. currency, 10 firearms, and seven automobiles were seized during the arrest of...
PRESS RELEASE

Tulare County Marijuana Cultivator Convicted

FRESNO, Calif. - The third of nine defendants charged over the summer in connection with a large marijuana cultivation operation in Alpaugh, pleaded guilty today to participating in a drug conspiracy, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Anthony D. Williams and U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. According to...
PRESS RELEASE

“Marvin Gardens” Defendant Sentenced For Stockton Indoor Marijuana Growing Scheme

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - United States District Judge Edward J. Garcia sentenced Michael Giang, 39 of San Francisco, today to two years and eight months in prison for mortgage fraud in an indoor marijuana growing scheme, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Anthony D. Williams and U.S. Attorney Benjamin B...
PRESS RELEASE

Large Scale Methamphetamine Distributor In Stanislaus County Indicted

FRESNO, Calif. - Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Anthony D. Williams and United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that a federal grand jury returned a two count indictment charging Juan Venegas, 40, of Newman, with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The...