PHOENIX - Nurse Practitioner Deborah Ann Cooney, 59 years old, has been indicted on 14 criminal charges related to her alleged illegal opioid prescribing practices at a clinic she operates in Mesa, Arizona. The investigation conducted by the Phoenix Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) developed allegations of improper...

SAN FRANCISCO – The Drug Enforcement Administration announced a new initiative, Operation Overdrive, aimed at combatting the rising rates of drug-related violent crime and overdose deaths plaguing American communities. Last fall, DEA initiated a data-driven approach using national crime statistics and CDC data to identify hot spots of drug-related violence...

FRESNO, Calif. — Keisean Rockmore, 27, of Bakersfield, California, pleaded guilty today to possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Wade R. Shannon and U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, on Jan. 19, 2021, Rockmore drove co-defendant Adrian Rodriguez...

FRESNO, Calif. —Renato Aguilera, 30, of Porterville, California, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Wade R. Shannon and U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 3, 2020, Aguilera conspired with...

PHOENIX - On January 20, 2022, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) arrested three subjects who were distributing methamphetamine and fake M30 pills suspected to contain fentanyl from BSG Auto Sales in Phoenix, Arizona. Investigators seized from the auto dealership approximately 20 pounds of methamphetamine, 4,000 M30 pills suspected to...

FRESNO, Calif. — Fabian Garcia-Palacio, 19, of Fresno, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to three years in prison for illegally distributing fentanyl to a minor, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, in March 2020, Garcia-Palacio distributed counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with...

SAN FRANCISCO – Armando Daniel Calderon was sentenced today in United States District Court to 198 months in federal prison following convictions for two counts of methamphetamine trafficking, one count of conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, and one count of carrying a firearm during drug trafficking, announced United States Attorney Stephanie...

FRESNO, Calif. — Antonio Castellanos, 38, of Whittier, was sentenced today to nine years in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine from Mexico destined for Modesto, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, Castellanos and co-defendants Genaro Serrato-Calles, 49; Antonio Valencia-Hernandez, 66, both of Michoacán, Mexico; and...

SAN FRANCISCO – Leanna Zamora, was sentenced today to 77 months in prison for distribution of fentanyl and her role in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent In Charge Wade R. Shannon. The sentence, handed down today by...

PHOENIX - As U.S. overdose deaths reach a devastating new height, claiming a new victim every five minutes, the Drug Enforcement Administration has revealed a direct link between fentanyl-related overdose deaths and criminal drug networks in Mexico. These groups are harnessing social media platforms to bring drugs laced with fentanyl...