DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
406 Results - Showing 141 to 150
PRESS RELEASE

Wisconsin Naturopathic Practitioner Sentenced to Twelve Months’ Imprisonment for Unlawful Prescribing of Controlled Substances

MILWAUKEE - John J. McGarry, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Milwaukee, and U.S. Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on May 12, 2023, Michele Nickels. was sentenced to12 months and one day of imprisonment, to be followed by two years...
PRESS RELEASE

Communities Across the Country Remove Nearly 664,000 Pounds of Unneeded Prescription Medications to Prevent Drug Misuse

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – On April 22, 2023, DEA and its law enforcement partners came together once again to protect our communities from prescription misuse by safely disposing of 663,725 pounds of unneeded medications at nearly 5,000 collection sites across the country. Since its inception in 2010, DEA’s bi-annual National Prescription...
PRESS RELEASE

Former Modesto Doctor Pleads Guilty to Illegally Prescribing Opioids

FRESNO, Calif. — Sawtantra Chopra, 76, of Modesto, pleaded guilty Wednesday to three counts of illegally prescribing opioids and other medication, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Brian M. Clark announced. According to court documents, Chopra admitted prescribing drugs — including hydrocodone, alprazolam...
PRESS RELEASE

East Windsor Man Sentenced to Prison for Oxycodone Prescription Fraud Scheme

EAST WINDSOR, Conn. - Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAYSON KEMP, 46, of East Windsor, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA, SAMHSA Extend COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescribing Controlled Medications for Six Months While Considering Comments from the Public

WASHINGTON – Today, ahead of the expiration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) issued the “Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications” – a temporary rule that extends telemedicine flexibilities...
PRESS RELEASE

Former Paramedic Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Stealing Medical-Grade Fentanyl

DENVER - 41-year-old Christopher Robert Pattinson of Commerce City, was sentenced to three years in prison for tampering with fentanyl intended for patient use according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado. According to the plea agreement, Pattinson was a Paramedic Field Lieutenant Supervisor at a Denver-area...
PRESS RELEASE

New Jersey Doctor Admits Health Care Fraud Targeting Amtrak

NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey doctor today admitted participating in a health care fraud scheme to defraud Amtrak, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Muhammad Mirza, 50, of Cedar Grove, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to an information charging him with...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Washington Division Gears up to Celebrate the 24th National Drug Take Back Day

Washington DC – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will host its 24th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 22nd, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event offers anonymous disposal of unneeded/ expired medications at more than 4,000 local drop-off locations nationwide. In partnership with local law...
PRESS RELEASE

Santa Rosa Doctor Sentenced to More than Two Years in Prison for Unlawfully Prescribing Fentanyl and Oxycodone

SAN FRANCISCO –Thomas Keller, formerly a pain management doctor in Santa Rosa, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for distributing Schedule II and IV controlled substances outside the scope of his professional practice and without a legitimate medical need, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey, Drug Enforcement...
PRESS RELEASE

Drug Enforcement Administration El Paso Division Announces Spring Take Back Day

El Paso, Texas – The Drug Enforcement Administration has announced the date of its 24th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. On Saturday, April 22, DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. For more than a decade, DEA’s National Prescription Drug...