PHOENIX - This Saturday, September 27, the Drug Enforcement (DEA) and over 65 law enforcement partners will hold the ninth Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. Arizonans can take their expired, unneeded, or unwanted prescription drugs to one of over 90 collection sites across Arizona between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The...

(WASHINGTON) - Today the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration’(DEA’s) Final Rule for the Disposal of Controlled Substances, which implements the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010,was made available online for preview by the Federal Register at https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2014-20926.pdf . The Act, in an effort to curtail the prescription drug...

(WASHINGTON)-A Colombian man extradited to the Eastern District of Virginia pleaded guilty today for his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Drug Enforcement (DEA) Special Agent James Terry Watson in Bogotà, Colombia, on June 20, 2013. “Today’s guilty plea is an important step forward in holding those responsible for...

WASHINGTON - On Friday the U. S. Drug Enforcement (DEA) will publish in the Federal Register the Final Rule moving hydrocodone combination (HCPs) from Schedule III to the more-restrictive Schedule II, as recommended by the Assistant Secretary for Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human (HHS) and as...

PHOENIX - On Aug. 18, 2014, Luis Enrique Villegas-Lugo, 40, of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Roslyn O. Silverto 17.5 years in prison. Villegas-Lugo pleaded guilty on Feb. 25, 2014 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, a...

PHEONIX - Drug Enforcement (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Doug Coleman announced that on July 31, 2014, John Cary Dean, 28, of Phoenix, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Douglas L. Rayesto 6.5 years in prison. Dean pleaded guilty on Jan. 23, 2014 to two counts of possession with...

PHOENIX - - On July 23, 2014, Ambrosio Nunez-Lopez, 65, of Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David G. Campbellto 10 years in prison. Nunez-Lopez pleaded guilty on March 18, 2014 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, a felony. The Organized...

WASHINGTON - Seven Colombian nationals were extradited to the United States to face charges relating to the kidnapping and murder of Drug Enforcement (DEA) Special Agent James Terry Watson. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Dana J...

WASHINGTON - Michele M. Leonhart, Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement (DEA) and Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced terrorism, narcotics, and weapons charges against Florindo Eleuterio Flores-Hala, a/k/a “Comrade Artemio,” Victor Quispe-Palomino, a/k/a “Comrade José,” and Jorge Quispe-Palomino, a/k/a “Raul.” As...

PHOENIX - On June 18, 2014, the final defendant was sentenced in connection with Operation Clean Green - a multi-year investigation conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service. Hector Raul Ortiz-Tarazon, Sr. and his son, Hector Francisco Ortiz, Jr. ran a drug trafficking (DTO) that shipped...