United States Drug Enforcement Administration

FRESNO, Calif. - Chaudhry Ahmad Farooq, 24, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiring to distribute heroin, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John J. Martin and U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, from approximately November 2015 through August 2016...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - McKesson Corporation, one of the nation’s largest distributors of pharmaceutical drugs, agreed to pay a record $150 million civil penalty for alleged violations of the Controlled Substances (CSA). The settlement resolves allegations that McKesson failed to design and implement an effective system to detect and report “suspicious...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Costco Wholesale will pay $11.75 million to settle allegations that its pharmacies violated the Controlled Substances (CSA) when they improperly filled prescriptions for controlled substances. The settlement resolves allegations that Costco pharmacies filled prescriptions that were incomplete, lacked valid DEA registration numbers or were for substances beyond...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Hung C. Nguyen, 40, of Moorpark, pleaded guilty today to manufacturing marijuana as part of a larger conspiracy to distribute marijuana throughout California, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John J. Martin announced. According to court documents, Nguyen conducted a...

FRESNO, Calif. - Jose Soto, 36, resident of Lamont, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John J. Martin announced. According to court documents, on May 5, 2016, at his residence in Lamont...

FRESNO, Calif. - A federal grand jury in Fresno returned an indictment today against Emil Vladimirov Babadjov, 31, of San Francisco, charging him with distributing fentanyl and heroin, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John J. Martin announced. Babadjov was arrested and...

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Jose Vazquez-Barron, AKA Chepa, was sentenced yesterday to 210 (17.5 years) in prison for his role in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John J. Martin. The sentence...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Rideout Health will pay the United States $2,425,000 to settle the federal claims of alleged violations of the Controlled Substances Act by three of Rideout Health’s facilities in Yuba and Sutter Counties: Rideout Memorial Hospital, Fremont Medical Center, and Feather River Surgery Center, United States Attorney Phillip...

FRESNO, Calif. - On Friday, December 2, 2016, U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd sentenced two defendants for their involvement in a large-scale smokeable synthetic cannabinoid trafficking organization based in Millbrae and Stockton, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John J. Martin...

SAN FRANCISCO - Six years after the U.S. Drug Enforcement (DEA) launched its National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Americans continue to turn out in large numbers to rid their homes of unused medications, including controlled prescription (CPDs) such as painkillers, tranquilizers, and stimulants. On October 22, 2016, Northern California...