SPOKANE, Wash. – Loren John Jay Meade, age 32, of Moses Lake, Washington, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on October 2, 2018, to conspiracy to distribute 50 or more grams of actual methamphetamine. Chief United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Meade to a 12 year and...

PHOENIX – DEA Phoenix Division Special Agent in Charge Doug Coleman announces the arrest of Jocelyn Lopez-Sanchez, a 22-year old Tucson woman who is now in custody following an indictment obtained by DEA agents Wednesday afternoon. Lopez-Sanchez was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 1, 2019. The indictment...

PHOENIX – The DEA’s Phoenix Field Division has finished calculating the amount of drugs collected from those agencies who participated in the April 27th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Arizonans turned out in massive numbers and disposed of 10,915.69 pounds, over five tons, of prescription drugs. “The citizens of...

PORTLAND, Ore.—In related criminal cases, Cole Williams Griffiths and Raleigh Dragon Lau pleaded guilty on April 22, 2019, for their roles in a conspiracy to traffic marijuana grown in Hood River, Oregon and Portland to Virginia, Texas, and Florida. Drug proceeds, in the form of bulk U.S. currency, were returned...

SEATTLE – This Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time, the Drug Enforcement Administration and its local law enforcement, community and tribal partners in the Pacific Northwest will collect expired, unused and unwanted prescription medications at one of 230 collection sites. There are 19 collection sites...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Christopher Thomas Howard, a/k/a “Indy,” 33, of Fairbanks, has been federally indicted with three counts of distribution of methamphetamine. Howard was arrested on April 5, 2019, based on a criminal complaint. According to the criminal complaint, on Jan. 3, 2019, Howard allegedly negotiated to sell two ounces...

PHOENIX – DEA announces the 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back will be held April 27, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time. Sites will be set up throughout communities nationwide so local residents can anonymously return their unwanted, unneeded or expired prescription drugs for safe disposal. (DEA cannot...

PHOENIX – The Drug Enforcement Administration Phoenix Field Division, along with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, announce the arrest of naturopathic medical doctor Jelina Ip and her mother, Alane Ip, following the execution of state-authorized warrants yesterday morning in Tempe. The Ips were owners and operators of Ava Pain Management...

PHOENIX - Special Agent in Charge Doug Coleman announced the arrest of Joshua Fassett, a 25-year-old Tempe man taken into custody by DEA agents. Fassett was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 10, 2019. The indictment and arrest of Fassett stemmed from a DEA investigation into the overdose...

BOISE, Idaho – Roberto Joe Miguel Serpa, 39, of Caldwell, was sentenced this week for his role in two federal drug crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis. Serpa was sentenced on April 16, 2019, to 126 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Serpa was sentenced...