SAN DIEGO – Three South American men were convicted by a federal jury late yesterday of trafficking approximately 1,230 kilograms (2,706 pounds) of cocaine worth more than $28 million on the high seas. The verdict came after a weeklong trial before U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez. “These traffickers attempted...

SAN DIEGO – April 7–13, 2019, is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week – a time for law enforcement, prosecutorial agencies, victim advocates and community members to come together and support victims of crime. Enforcing victim’s rights protects victims, enhances public safety and fosters public confidence in our criminal justice system...

SAN DIEGO – Three federal indictments unsealed in San Diego this week charge 20 people, including documented gang members and associates, with trafficking in oxycodone, methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana and ultra-deadly carfentanil from homes in City Heights, College Grove and Imperial Beach. One defendant, Dat Pham Tien Tran aka “Damian,” is...

OMAHA, Neb., – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will host its 17th annual National Take Back Day, Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at designated sites across the nation where individuals can dispose of unwanted, unused and expired medications in a safe and secure location. Since the first National...

BISMARCK, N.D. – DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Richard Salter, Jr., testified at the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Oversight Hearing at the United Tribal Technical College gymnasium in Bismarck, N.D., March 20. One of three federal representatives called to testify at the four-hour hearing, Salter discussed DEA’s...

OMAHA, Neb. – Sigourney Elementary School Principal Deanna Hutchings was presented a $1,000 check by Drug Enforcement Administration Des Moines Resident Office staff, March 18, after Wells and Owen Clark and their family were recognized as one of 20 2018 Red Ribbon Week Photo Contest winners. To qualify for the...

SAN DIEGO – A leader of the Westside Crips was sentenced to 82 months in prison on March 7, 2019 for his aggravating role in a racketeering conspiracy involving sex trafficking, narcotics trafficking and other violent crimes as well as possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute...

SAN DIEGO – Former Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher Esteban Loaiza was sentenced in federal court on March 8, 2019 to 36 months in prison for knowingly and intentionally possessing 20 kilograms - about 44 pounds - of cocaine with intent to distribute. “Mr. Loaiza lived every young boy’s dream...

OMAHA, Neb., – East Butler Public School in Brainard, Neb., was presented a $1,000 check by Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Division staff, Feb. 22, after sixth grader Chance Rohda and his family were recognized as one of 20 2018 Red Ribbon Week Photo Contest winners. To qualify for the eighth...

OMAHA, Neb. –The February 12 conviction of Sinaloa Cartel drug trafficker Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman-Lorea serves as a reminder of the effect his organization has had on the five states that make up the Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Division. Countless illicit drugs have made their way into local communities in...