United States Drug Enforcement Administration

BOSTON – Earlier today, charges were unsealed against 10 members and associates of the H Block Gang (Appendix A) for drug conspiracy. Separately, nine members and associates of the Mission Hill Gang (Appendix B) were charged with engaging in financial fraud. The charges are the result of separate, multi-year investigations...

EL PASO, Texas – Twenty-one individuals suspected of being affiliated with the Chuco Tango street gang were arrested Thursday in and around El Paso on criminal charges related to their alleged involvement in trafficking of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine, and/or the unlawful possession of firearms. The following defendants were indicted...

OMAHA, Neb – Five members of a Houston-based organization known for targeting rural pharmacies in Western Iowa and Western Nebraska face federal charges after breaking in and stealing pharmaceuticals in May and June of 2022 and 2023. These five people are part of a larger conspiracy being prosecuted out of...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A district court judge sentenced two Columbus, Ohio, men to federal prison for burglarizing several pharmacies of oxycodone, hydrocodone and morphine pills with intent to illegally distribute the controlled substances. George H. Cunningham, 42, was sentenced to 100 months in prison and Tarvin M. Hamler...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has seen an increase in burglaries at independent pharmacies across the country. Nearly 900 burglaries involving the theft of controlled substances were reported to DEA in 2023. Stolen prescription medications adversely impact these small businesses while also putting patients and the community at...

BOSTON – A Springfield woman was sentenced on Aug. 27, 2024 for possessing fentanyl intended for distribution. Karyela Santiago, 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to time served (one day) and three years of supervised release. In May 2024, pleaded guilty to one count of...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Joplin, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for illegally possessing firearms. Dustin L. Holden, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark on Friday, Aug. 23, to 22 years and nine months...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Nevada, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for leading a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Trenton D. Wallace, 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to 20 years in federal prison without parole. On Dec. 14, 2023, Wallace pleaded guilty to one...

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Mario Espino (25, Holiday) has pleaded guilty to five counts of a superseding indictment charging him with kidnapping, possessing methamphetamine and fentanyl with the intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Espino...

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of four indictments charging a total of 12 individuals with murder in furtherance of drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, illegal possession of firearms, and bank fraud...