ALBANY, NEW YORK – Christopher Viagrande, age 41, of Latham, New York, was arrested earlier this week and charged with distributing controlled substances outside the course of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced today a settlement with pharmaceutical distributor Morris & Dickson Co., LLC for failing to maintain effective controls against diversion of controlled substances, including failure to report to DEA thousands of unusually large orders of oxycodone and hydrocodone. Morris & Dickson, which...

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, a complaint was unsealed charging Levar Jackson and Jaclyn Misuraca with conspiring to distribute fentanyl. As alleged, Jackson and Misuraca sold approximately 270 grams of fentanyl—often in broad daylight and in public locations across Long Island including outside of...

Oxford, MS – A Mississippi man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for racketeering (RICO) conspiracy, including murder, related to his participation in the Simon City Royals (SCR) gang. According to court documents, from 2016 until 2022, Allen Posey, 49, of Hazlehurst, Mississippi oversaw all of the criminal...

NEW ORLEANS – In a groundbreaking move to address the nation's escalating fentanyl crisis, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hosted its first-ever One Pill Can Kill Game Over Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 27. The esports event featured Louisiana teams, including Loyola University New Orleans and Northwestern State University of Louisiana...

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Stacey Beardsley aka Stacey J. Peterson, 37, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael J. Roemer to misprision of felony, which carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who handled...

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Javonte Holloway, 23, of Buffalo, NY, with distribution of controlled substances causing death and trafficking in counterfeit drugs causing death. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years in prison...

MINEOLA, N.Y. – Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder and Drug Enforcement Administration New York Division Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III announced the arrest of a Florida man who allegedly commandeered the e-prescribing privileges of multiple doctors to issue thousands...

NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has launched a new campaign encouraging the public to make Every Day Take Back Day by utilizing year-round collection sites to dispose of unneeded and unwanted medications. For more than a decade, DEA has worked with state and local law enforcement partners...

Jackson, Miss. – Approximately 40 individuals were arrested Tuesday pursuant to 10 federal indictments filed in the Southern District of Mississippi charging defendants from Lauderdale, Newton, Neshoba, Scott, and Jasper counties in Mississippi, as well as Mexico, California, Texas, and Alabama. The charges stem from a four-year federal investigation of...