US announces sweeping action against Chinese fentanyl supply chain producers
The Biden administration is taking aim at the fentanyl trafficking threat, announcing a series of indictments and sanctions against Chinese companies and executives blamed for importing the chemicals used to make the deadly drug.
Former high-ranking Z-43 cartel member pleads guilty to trafficking tons of cocaine into US; facing life in prison
A former high-ranking member of the Los Zetas cartel has entered a guilty plea to a conspiracy to import tons of cocaine into the United States, the United States Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Revolving door redux: The DEA's recently departed No. 2 returns to a Big Pharma consulting firm
Washingtonโs revolving door kept spinning this week as the Drug Enforcement Administrationโs recently departed second-in-command returned for another stint with a high-powered consulting firm where he previously advised OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma.
Marijuana recommendation from Health Dept. hailed by senators as first step to easing restrictions
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has delivered a recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Administration on marijuana policy, and Senate leaders are hailing it as a first step toward easing federal restrictions on the drug.
China says up to US to create 'necessary conditions' for anti-drugs cooperation
China is insisting it is up to the U.S. to โcreate necessary conditionsโ for anti-drugs cooperation, following complaints from Washington that Beijing is ignoring its calls for a crackdown on precursor chemicals for the highly addictive painkiller fentanyl.
El Chapoโs son, Sinaloa members face sanctions over fentanyl
The United States has sanctioned a son of Mexican drug lord Joaquin โEl Chapoโ Guzman, three members of the Sinaloa cartel and two Mexican-based firms, alleging they trafficked fentanyl and other drugs into the U.S. Tuesday's sanctions came the day Mexican President Andrรฉs Manuel Lรณpez Obrador was talking with President Joe Biden about immigration and the fentanyl crisis.
Houston DEA head says fentanyl is the โbiggest threat weโve ever seenโ
Millions of counterfeit pills are being sold on the black market with more than half laced with fentanyl, according to the DEA. In 2022, the Houston office of the DEA seized enough fatal doses of fentanyl to kill every single person in the greater Houston area. This is in addition to the 674,000 counterfeit pills seized by the office last year.
โFree and anonymousโ: Dispose of expired, unwanted drugs as part of โNational Prescription Drug Take Back Initiativeโ
The Katy ISD Police Department, in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will allow the public to safely dispose of potentially dangerous, expired, unused and unwanted prescription medications on Saturday.
15K rainbow fentanyl pills found hidden in Lego bricks in New York drug bust could kill half a million people, report says
The Drug Enforcement Administration announced their latest seizure of โrainbow fentanylโ is the largest ever in New York, with 15,000 brightly colored pills containing the drug found hidden in childrenโs toys, reports said.
DEA: Fake pills containing fentanyl helping drive OD deaths
Federal officials say an increasing number of fake prescription pills containing potentially deadly fentanyl are helping drive overdose death rates to record levels in the U.S. And officials warn that some of the pills are being manufactured in rainbow colors designed to look like candy.
WATCH LIVE: Houston police, Drug Enforcement Administration discuss awareness of fake fentanyl pills
The Drug Enforcement Administration will join Houston Police, Texas Department of Public Safety to discuss the dangers of fake fentanyl pills as part of the ongoing fentanyl overdose crisis in Harris and surrounding counties.
50 people charged in multi-agency drug bust in Houston, Galveston area
A total of 50 people were arrested following one of the largest drug busts in south Texas in recent years, according to Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery and Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Colombian corruption case latest overseas stain for DEA
A Colombian national police officer who was part of an elite unit that worked closely with U.S. anti-narcotics agents has been extradited to Miami to stand trial on charges he betrayed the Drug Enforcement Administration to the same traffickers they were jointly fighting.
Texas Medical Board warns of new scam targeting health care professionals
HOUSTON โ The Texas Medical Board (TMB) has issued a warning to health care professionals about a new scam targeting them. According to the warning, scammers are making calls claiming to be employees with the TMB, the Drug Enforcement Administration or FBI or other law enforcement entities and demanding money. The scammers may also go as far as to spoof agency phone numbers or send documents on official-looking letterheads, according to the TMB. โAdditionally, the TMB has no authority to issue, cancel, or influence arrest warrants, as some scams have indicated.โAdPeople are being asked to report it should they receive a call or document from any such organization asking for money or threatening to suspend their DEA registration. To learn more or report an incident, visit the TMB website.
Walmart sues US in pre-emptive strike in opioid abuse battle
NEW YORK โ Walmart is suing the U.S. government in a pre-emptive strike in the battle over its responsibility in the opioid abuse crisis. Walmart says it is seeking a declaration from a federal judge that the government has no lawful basis for seeking civil damages from the company. โUnder defendantsโ sweeping view, Walmart and its pharmacists may be held liable โ perhaps even criminally โ for failing to second-guess DEA-registered doctors and refuse their prescriptions. In August 2018, Walmart said that officials at the Department of Justice recognized that there was no plausible basis for a criminal indictment, and the department formally declined to prosecute Walmart. The Justice Department declined to comment.
AP Exclusive: 1,500 arrests in DEA violent crime initiative
WASHINGTON โ More than 1,500 people have been arrested on state and federal criminal charges in the last three months as part of a Drug Enforcement Administration project focusing on violent crime, the agencyโs acting administrator told The Associated Press. Such operations are common for the federal government, but the issue of law-and-order is a major component of President Donald Trump's reelection campaign. The DEA -- under the umbrella of the Department of Justice -- is responsible for investigating major drug cases and international drug smuggling, along with drug gangs who are often responsible for upticks in violence within communities. โBy going after the violent crime, weโve been able to investigate the larger regional groups,โ Shea said. โPlus, weโre addressing the violent crime problem in these localities.โ
DEA recruits cite 'monkey noises' among claims of racism
While at the Drug Enforcement Administrations Training Academy, Brown said he was once pepper-sprayed three times in a single training exercise while other trainees were sprayed once. When both responded, the white instructor clarified, โI meant the monkey.โThat behavior, as alleged in an internal complaint, didnโt stop there. The instructor also was accused of going on the loudspeaker in the tower of the outdoor firing range to taunt black trainees by making โmonkey noises.โโWe were like, โItโs 2019. That shouldnโt even be a thing that weโre dealing with,โโ said Derek Moise, who did not hear the noises himself but recalled the discomfort they caused his fellow Black trainees who did. The recruits who originally accused Mortenson are still employed by the DEA and not permitted to speak publicly about the incidents.