DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
820 Results - Showing 421 to 430
PRESS RELEASE

Pacific Beach resident pleads guilty to distributing fentanyl that caused two overdoses, one of them fatal

SAN DIEGO – Pacific Beach resident Maya Kol pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he sold fentanyl powder that caused the death of one man and sent another to the hospital over Labor Day weekend in September 2018. A third man - Kol’s source of the fentanyl -...
PRESS RELEASE

Roanoke law enforcement and community leaders announce new cooperative initiative to curb violent crime

ROANOKE, Va. – Today, leaders from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Virginia State Police, City of Roanoke Police Department and Roanoke City Public Schools, joined United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen today in announcing the formation of Roanoke...
PRESS RELEASE

Baltimore man found with enough fentanyl to kill 37,500 people in illegal taxi pleads guilty

BALTIMORE – Devron Lasha Young, Jr., 22, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty today to a federal charge of possession with intent to distribute approximately 75 grams of fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl—enough to kill 37,500 people. Young was charged in federal court as part of a federal-state initiative announced in December 2018...
PRESS RELEASE

Online drug dealer sentenced to 15 years for distributing counterfeit pills containing fentanyl that caused overdose death

SAN DIEGO – Drug dealer Trevon Antone Lucas was sentenced in federal court today to 15 years in prison for selling the counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl that caused the overdose death of a La Jolla resident in June of 2018. Lucas, a resident of Highland, Calif., pleaded guilty...
PRESS RELEASE

Overprescribing opioids costs La Jolla doctor $125,000

SAN DIEGO – Dr. Roger A. Kasendorf, an osteopathic physician practicing in La Jolla, agreed to pay $125,000 to resolve allegations that he illegally prescribed opioids to his patients. The highly addictive and frequently abused opioids he prescribed included fentanyl, hydromorphone, oxymorphone, and oxycodone. In response to the Justice Department’s...
PRESS RELEASE

Armed Hampton-area drug dealer sentenced to 25 years in prison

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for distributing cocaine and heroin while possessing a firearm. According to court documents, Lorenzo Golden, 35, admitted that he had agreed to distribute and distributed more than five kilograms of cocaine and more than a...
PRESS RELEASE

Statement of DEA Special Agent in Charge and U.S. Attorney Thomas T. Cullen

ROANOKE, Va. – On Monday, Sept. 23, 2019, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration arrived at a property owned by Dr. Vincent K. Jones to execute a federal arrest warrant. Upon arrival, agents found Dr. Jones unresponsive and acted promptly to administer emergency, life-saving care and additionally called for medical...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA teams with Washington Redskins to tackle opioid addiction

WASHINGTON -- The DEA and the Washington Redskins announced today that they will team up to spread awareness about the ongoing opioid epidemic through a new campaign. This campaign will include public service announcements throughout the month of October and culminate in an epic game-day sponsored event during the October...
PRESS RELEASE

Virginia doctor prescribed half a million opioid and fentanyl pills in two years, sentenced to 40 years in prison

ABINGDON, Va. – Joel Smithers, 36, a Martinsville-based doctor, was sentenced Oct. 2, 2019 to 40 years in federal prison and sentenced to pay a special assessment of $86,000, on 861 federal drug charges in U.S. District Court in Abingdon. Smithers was found to have prescribed more than half a...
PRESS RELEASE

Virginia dentist running elaborate prescription scheme, reported to DEA tip line, sentenced

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach dentist was sentenced today to eight and a half years in prison for conspiracy to distribute prescription opioids and muscle relaxant pills without a legitimate medical purpose. According to court documents, Gary Hartman, 48, was involved in an elaborate scheme to prescribe opioids such...