DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
1017 Results - Showing 761 to 770
PRESS RELEASE

New boss for DEA’s St. Louis Division says astronomical increases in seizures of fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine a top priority

ST. LOUIS - William J. Callahan, III was appointed Special Agent-in-Charge (SAC) of the DEA St. Louis Division and reported for duty on July 10, 2018. SAC Callahan is already hard at work finding innovative ways to tackle the drug and gang related violence that has been plaguing Missouri, Kansas...
PRESS RELEASE

Launch of outreach and education campaign to combat cartels using youth to smuggle drugs

SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Division of the DEA, along with federal and state law enforcement officials, have launched an outreach campaign in San Diego and Imperial Counties to prevent middle and high school students from acting as drug mules for cartels. Billboards, located in San Diego and Imperial...
PRESS RELEASE

Lakeside Pharmacy Pays $75,000 for Failing to Keep Accurate Records of Opioids

(SAN DIEGO) - A pharmacy in Lakeside, California and its owners have paid $75,000 to resolve allegations that they failed to properly account for highly addictive and frequently abused opioids, including fentanyl. The settlement is with Archana Corporation and its owners Rajeshbhai Zalavadiya and Ramesh Rakholia. The Archana Corporation, Zalavadiya...
PRESS RELEASE

Methamphetamine Trafficker Who Cut His Ankle Bracelet and Fled to Mexico during Trial Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

(SAN DIEGO) - Drug trafficker Salvador Ojeda-Amarillas, who fled during his 2009 trial and was arrested years later in Mexico, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on June 13, 2018 for smuggling 66 pounds of pure methamphetamine from Mexico and distributing it throughout San Diego. According to court records...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA In Springfield, Missouri Achieve Significant Prison Sentences For Two Recent Investigations

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...
PRESS RELEASE

Two Separate Investigations Result In Significant Sentences For Drug Dealers In Cedar Rapids

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...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Brings In Record Number Of Unused Pills During 15th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

San Diego & Imperial, CA - 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 - to include 41 locations in San Diego...
PRESS RELEASE

Lakeside Gang Member Indicted In Fentanyl Overdose Death

SAN DIEGO - Documented Lakeside gang member Uriah Odish was indicted by a federal grand jury for selling fentanyl that led to the death of a 25-year-old La Mesa woman, identified in court documents only as T.H., who was found dead in her home on January 23. “By holding dealers...
PRESS RELEASE

Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty In 100 Pound Meth Conspiracy

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...
PRESS RELEASE

Sinaloa Cartel Trafficker Sentenced

SAN DIEGO - Sinaloa Cartel drug trafficker Jesus Manuel Salazar-Nunez was sentenced to 135 months in prison today and five years of supervised release for his role in a drug trafficking cell responsible for shipping methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin from Mexico for importation into San Diego. According to court records...