United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal magistrate judge has ordered that Defendant Milton Joel Varela Arteaga-a Honduran national who resides in Oakland, California, and was recently indicted by a federal grand jury for possessing large quantities of fentanyl on three separate occasions in 2023-be detained pending trial on fentanyl trafficking charges...

NEWARK, N.J. – A Bronx, New York, man today admitted distributing heroin and fentanyl into New Jersey from two drug mills in the Bronx, which resulted in the death of a 15-month-old child, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Jhan Carlos Capellan Maldonado, 35, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge...

WASHINGTON – In 2023, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration marked its 50th anniversary as the only federal agency dedicated to fighting deadly drugs and drug-related violence. This milestone celebrated a half century of dedication to fighting drug trafficking in the United States and around the world, which threatens the public...

TAMPA, Fla . –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the charging of Maximo Espinosa (44, Kissimmee) with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, and fentanyl. If convicted, Espinosa faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison. Because Espinosa was on federal supervised release at...

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced the sentencing of two men Friday for drug trafficking in the Lafayette area. United States District Judge Robert R. Summerhays sentenced James Johnwell, 44, of Crowley, Louisiana, to 71 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release for...

Note: View the Superseding Indictment . ALBUQUERQUE – Towanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's El Paso Division and Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced the results of a law enforcement operation that resulted in fifteen defendants being...

DALLAS, TX - Three defendants were sentenced today to a combined 35 years in federal prison for their roles in the drug conspiracy that claimed the lives of three teenagers in North Texas. Jason Xavier Villanueva, 23, Robert Alexander Gaitan, 20, and Rafael Soliz, Jr., 23, were indicted in a...

SPOKANE, Wash. - Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Jaime Alberto Garza, 52, of Othello, Washington, was sentenced after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 40 Grams or More of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Fentanyl...

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, a five-count indictment was unsealed charging Ariana Charles with conspiring to illegally traffic 18 firearms to Brooklyn. The defendant is charged under the gun trafficking provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress and the President enacted in June 2022. The...

BOISE, Idaho– Peter Timothy Eromenok, 34, of Idaho Falls, was sentenced to nearly 12 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today. According to court records, Eromenok was interviewed by investigators on May 9, 2022, about suspected fentanyl left...