SEATTLE – Two men have been charged in a 24-count indictment following the investigation of a string of pharmacy burglaries that stretched from Kirkland, Washington, to Chehalis, Washington. Koumssa Wakgira, 44, of Seattle and Juston Young, 42, of Renton, Washington, are charged in an indictment alleging conspiracy to commit burglaries...

NEW YORK – United States Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) Administrator Terrance Cole, DEA Northeast Associate Chief of Operations Frank Tarentino, DEA New York Enforcement Division Special Agent in Charge Farhana Islam, DEA San Francisco Division Special Agent in Charge Bob Beris, along with our law enforcement partners Homeland Security Investigations...

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Dr. Douglas Cline and nurse practitioner Laurie McKenna have agreed to pay $500,000 to resolve civil actions brought by the United States involving unlawful opioid prescribing practices and a fraudulent conveyance action against Dr. Cline, announced Drug Enforcement Administration New York Enforcement Division, Special Agent in...

Special Agent in Charge of the New York Enforcement Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Farhana Islam, and United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging MARK DYGDON and RODRIGO CASTRO in connection with the defendants’ distribution...

MINEOLA, N.Y. – DEA New York Enforcement Division Special Agent in Charge Farhana Islam and Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a Brooklyn woman was charged with attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance and forgery for allegedly sending falsified oxycodone prescriptions to a pharmacy to obtain...

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s two New York Divisions, the New York Enforcement Division and the New York Task Force Division, announce the collection of over 14,000 pounds of unwanted, expired and/or medications. On April 25, 2026, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration joined 4,306 law...

MINEOLA, N.Y. – Drug Enforcement Administration New York Enforcement Division Special Agent in Charge Farhana Islam and Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a Glen Head doctor and his son were charged with allegedly selling dozens of prescriptions for opioids, amphetamines, and benzodiazepines without a legitimate medical...

SEATTLE – A 36-year-old former anesthesiology resident at Seattle Children’s Hospital and Harborview and University of Washington Medical Centers was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to one year of supervised release including 200 hours of community service for diverting narcotic pain medication to his own use while...

PORTLAND, Ore. — Dr. Brenda Brown-Carlson, a Portland veterinarian, was sentenced to 60 months of supervised probation on January 13, 2026, in Multnomah County Circuit Court as part of a plea agreement. Brown-Carlson admitted to diverting controlled substances for her personal use and replacing them with saline, impacting the treatment...

SPOKANE, Wash. –Dr. Duncan Lahtinen, a licensed physician, has paid $120,000.00 in penalties to resolve allegations that he wrote prescriptions for controlled substances that lacked legitimate medical purposes or were outside the usual course of his professional practice. Between 2017 and 2025, Dr. Lahtinen issued over 1,400 prescriptions for controlled...