DEA Archived Press Releases

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

Drug Trafficker Who Assisted Stepson with Trafficking Ring Tied to Aryan Prison Gangs Sentenced to Over Six Years in Prison

Tacoma – A 66-year-old Tacoma man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 75 months in prison for his leadership role in a drug distribution ring tied to the white supremacist Aryan Family prison gang, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Ronnie Griffin is the stepfather of...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Washington Division Calls on the Community to Have Important Conversations on Dangers of Drugs and Fake Pills in Back-To-School Routines

Washington, DC – As schools in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia open their doors to students and teachers this month, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Division is urging the community to have important conversations about the consequences of drug experimentation and misuse as the new school year...
PRESS RELEASE

Dominican National Sentenced to More Than 4 Years in Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl Pills and Crystal Meth

HARTFORD, Conn. - Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that AURELIA CAROLINA LARA-DIAZ, 30, a citizen of the Dominican Republic last residing in Boston, Massachusetts, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to 50 months of imprisonment for trafficking...
PRESS RELEASE

Operation Hotline Bling

LOS ANGELES – The Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division today announced the results of a multi-agency investigation targeting a Sinaloa drug trafficking network operating within the Inland Empire. Operation “Hotline Bling,” which started in early 2023, culminated last week with 15 arrests and significant drug seizures, including methamphetamine...
PRESS RELEASE

Two Charged with Connection with Scheme to Operate Industrial-Scale Illegal Narcotics Pill Pressing Operations Throughout New York City

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Frank A. Tarentino III, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”); and Darren B. McCormack, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of...
PRESS RELEASE

Ringleader of Fentanyl Conspiracy Sentenced to Life, Co-Conspirators Sentenced to a Total of More than 100 Years

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Michael Gannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Indianapolis, and U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers for the Southern District of Indiana announced Keith J. Jones, a/k/a Keybo, 57, of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Kevin M. Backstrom, 58, of Los Angeles California have been sentenced to...
PRESS RELEASE

Stratford Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Meth and Oxycodone

STRATFORD, Conn. - Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that EDWARD JOHNSON, 32, of Stratford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Harford to 84 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for distributing methamphetamine and oxycodone...
PRESS RELEASE

Two Charged in Connection with Search of Bronx Drug Mail Distribution Center Containing Approximately 100,000 Pills Suspected of Fentanyl and Meth

NEW YORK CITY - Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Frank A. Tarentino III, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration; and Erin Keegan, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field...
PRESS RELEASE

Six Members of Evansville Fentanyl and Meth Trafficking Ring Indicted

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Michael Gannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Indianapolis and U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers for the Southern District of Indiana announced a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging six individuals for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine in...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Washington Division Saw a Surge of Over 250% in Fentanyl Pill Seizures in 2023

Washington, DC – The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, which covers the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) confiscated more than 639,000 fentanyl pills and 189 pounds of fentanyl powder in 2023. This amount represents more than a three-fold increase in the number of fake pills laced with...