United States Drug Enforcement Administration

HARTFORD, Conn. - Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TARA SEVERINO, 58, of West Haven, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to two years of probation, the first six months of which Severino must serve...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Osage Beach, Mo., nurse pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally obtaining fentanyl from a hospital for his own use. Charles Welch Jr., 65, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to a federal...

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...

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging KYLE PETERSEN, 38, of Newington, and ERIK PETERSEN...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An anesthesiologist at a Lee’s Summit, Mo., hospital pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally taking prescription fentanyl from the hospital. Roman Peplinski, 37, of Kansas City, Mo., waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As students return to school across the DMV, the DEA's Washington Division urges families to have open conversations about the dangers of drug experimentation and use. “Our citizens, especially our youth, are being exposed to an illicit drug supply that is more dangerous than ever before, making...

BOSTON – A Methuen man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly trafficking counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine, unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition and using a firearm in relation of a drug trafficking offense. Shawn Hart, 45, was charged with one count of...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a registered nurse who stole fentanyl from the hospital where she worked to three years of probation, 200 hours of public service work and a $5,000 fine. Judge Limbaugh also ordered Lindsey M. Francis, 35, to...

Albuquerque, N.M. – As part of Operation Engage, DEA Albuquerque has partnered with Bernalillo County to host a free CADCA training for employers seeking to address problematic substance use and misuse in the workplace. The 90-minute training will discuss how problematic substance use impacts businesses and their employees, how to...

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—Former Advanced Nurse Practitioner Jessica Joyce Spayd (52) was sentenced in U.S. District Court yesterday to 30 years (360 months) imprisonment for illegally prescribing and dispensing opioids outside the scope of legitimate medical practice that resulted in the deaths of five people between 2014 and 2019. United States District...