Press Releases

DEA News: Designer Synthetic Drug Trafficker Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison

December 19, 2013

PHOENIX - DEA Special Agent in-Charge Doug Coleman and U.S. Attorney John S. Leonardo, District of Arizona today announced that Michael Rocky Lane, 52, of Scottsdale, Ariz., was sentenced on Dec. 17, 2013 by U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell to 180 months' imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised...

Operation Kruz Control Delivers Major Action Against Large Scale Marijuana Trafficking Organization

December 17, 2013

PHOENIX - Drug Enforcement (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Doug Coleman along with U.S. Border Patrol Agent in Charge Sabri Dikman, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Dawn Mertz today announced the arrests of 11 of 13 suspected members of the Luis Armando Cruz drug trafficking...

New Jersey Doctor Sentenced To More Than 11 Years For Writing Illegal Oxycodone Prescriptions In Drug Distribution Conspiracy Also Ordered To Pay Approximately $630,000 In Fines And Forfeiture

December 17, 2013

NEWARK, N.J. - Carl J. Kotowski, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's New Jersey Division, and Paul J. Fishman, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey announced an internal medicine specialist who wrote illegal prescriptions for oxycodone was sentenced today to 136 months in prison for...

DEA And Attorney General Horne: Arrests Made In Large-Scale Criminal Operation

December 12, 2013

PHOENIX - DEA Special Agent in Charge Doug Coleman and Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne today announced the arrests of six members of the Sanchez Money Laundering Organization in Tucson and New York. Armando Robles Urrea, Gladis Celaya-Reuelas, Noemi Suarez-Montijo, Frank Babcock, Concepcion Suarez-Montijo, and Maria Yvette Sanchez-Arvizu were arrested...

Two Defendants Admit Roles In $65 Million Stolen Identity Income Tax Refund Fraud Scheme

November 21, 2013

NEWARK, N.J. - Two defendants have admitted their roles in one of the nation’s largest and longest running stolen identity refund fraud schemes ever identified, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced today. The scheme caused more than 8,000 fraudulent U.S. income tax returns to be filed, which sought more than...

Pharmacist Arrested, Charged With Assembling Illegal Drug Lab

November 14, 2013

NEWARK, N.J. - Carl J. Kotowski, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’(DEA) New Jersey Division announced special agents of the DEA and FBI arrested a pharmacist early this morning in Jersey City, N.J., on federal charges alleging he assembled equipment for an illegal drug lab. Jordan Gonzalez...

New Jersey Residents Turn In Nearly 15,000 Pounds Of Expired And Unwanted Prescriptions

October 31, 2013

NEWARK, N.J. - Carl J. Kotowski, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division, announced that this past weekend’s National Prescription Take Back Day resulted in the collection and destruction of almost 15,000 pounds, or 7.5 tons, of expired, unused, and unwanted prescriptions throughout New Jersey...

DEA’s Seventh Statewide Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Results In Another Big Haul

October 29, 2013

PHOENIX - Today, Douglas W. Coleman, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement (DEA), announced that this past Saturday, DEA collected over 10,000 pounds of prescription medications, demonstrating the public’s continued appreciation and need for the opportunity to discard unwanted, unused and expired prescription drugs from medicine cabinets, bedside...

Prescription Drug Take-Back Day To Offer Residents The Ability To Safely Dispose Of Unwanted And Expired Medications Saturday, October 26th

October 24, 2013

WHAT: “7th STATEWIDE PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE-BACK EVENT” - WHEN: SATURDAY, October 26th. Collection Sites will be open 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. - WHERE: STATEWIDE-over 90 drop-off locations. Visit - www.dea.gov and click on the “Got Drugs?” icon for a local site near you. - WHO: DEA, state, local, and...

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Charges Against Owners Of Three Pharmacies, Pharmacists, And Others For Illegal Distribution Of Millions Of Dollars’ Worth Of Oxycodone And Other Painkillers Nine Individuals Allegedly Used New York And New Jersey

October 23, 2013

NEW YORK - Carl J. Kotowski, Special Agent in Charge of the New Jersey Division of the Drug Enforcement (DEA) and Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, today announced charges against nine individuals - Paul Wiseberg, Robert Kalaba, Gerald Wiseberg, Stephanie Tomasini, Lana...