SEATTLE - A 34-year-old resident of Puyallup, Washington, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to possession of heroin and methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Defendant Jeremy Gongas faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle on September...

SAN DIEGO – Tony Davis pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he supplied fentanyl that led to the fatal overdose of Jacqueline Galvan, a 41-year-old San Diego woman, on October 24, 2018. According to his plea agreement, Davis agreed to sell more than 100 grams of what he...

SAN DIEGO –A federal grand jury indictment was unsealed in San Diego today against alleged Mexican drug cartel leader Jesus Gonzalez Penuelas in connection with suspected heroin and fentanyl trafficking. Penuelas was also the target of sanctions imposed today by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The indictment, returned on...

SEATTLE - Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug announced the unsealing of an indictment today against a Sinaloa-based drug trafficker for his role in trafficking fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine from Mexico to the Pacific Northwest. Efrain Mendivil Figueroa, 41, of Sinaloa, Mexico, has been charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin...

SAN DIEGO – Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael Zambada-Imperial, aka “Mayito Gordo,” pleaded guilty in federal court today to drug trafficking charges following his extradition to the Southern District of California in December 2019. He also agreed to forfeit $5 million in drug trafficking proceeds. Zambada-Imperial pleaded guilty to all charges...

SEATTLE - DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day collected 829,543 pounds (419.7 tons) of unused, expired, and unwanted medications across the country. Americans once again showed their dedication toward helping prevent addiction and potential overdose by removing prescription pills from their homes. Our April event included 4,425 community partners...

SAN DIEGO – Today the Drug Enforcement Administration announced a new initiative, Project Wave Breaker, to disrupt the flow of deadly fentanyl into the United States. Project Wave Breaker will direct interdiction, enforcement, and outreach efforts to the San Diego Field Division (SDFD) to disrupt the flow of fentanyl in...

SAN DIEGO – With opioid overdose deaths increasing during the pandemic, the Drug Enforcement Administration is holding its 20th Take Back Day this Saturday, April 24th. DEA has collected over 6,800 tons of prescription drugs over the 10-year span of Take Back Day, and during DEA’s October 2020 Take Back...

SAN DIEGO – Jeffrey Alden Blair was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Battaglia to 188-months in prison for supplying the fentanyl that led to the fatal overdose of 45-year old Derrick Hotchkiss, a long-time rugby player for the San Diego Old Aztecs Rugby Football Club. Through his...

Seattle –Twenty-one people were arrested today on indictments and criminal complaints charging an extensive drug dealing conspiracy by defendants who often illegally possessed firearms, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Law enforcement teams from FBI, DEA, Seattle Police Department, and other public safety organizations executed about ninety search warrants...