Fair 22°
Tag:

Drug Enforcement Administration

News
Iranian Operative, 2 NY Associates Nabbed In Plot To Assassinate Donald Trump, DOJ Says Iranian Operative, 2 NY Associates Nabbed In Plot To Assassinate Donald Trump, DOJ Says
Iranian Operative, 2 NY Associates Nabbed In Plot To Assassinate Donald Trump, DOJ Says An Iranian operative and two associates living in America have been charged in a murder-for-hire plot targeting United States citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump. Federal authorities have charged Farhad Shakeri, an alleged operative of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), along with two New York City associates in a plot to assassinate a US citizen critical of the Iranian government.  The case highlights the continued threat posed by Iran’s attempts to silence dissidents and even target top US. officials. According to the Department of Justice criminal complai…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
Bank Manager From Hudson Valley Sentenced For Hiring A Hitman To Murder Brother-In-Law Bank Manager From Hudson Valley Sentenced For Hiring A Hitman To Murder Brother-In-Law
Bank Manager From Hudson Valley Sentenced For Hiring A Hitman To Murder Brother-In-Law A Hudson Valley bank manager is headed for federal prison after pleading guilty to plotting to hire a hitman to murder her own brother-in-law. Orange County resident Reshma Massarone, age 40, of Pine Bush, a hamlet of Crawford, was sentenced to 9.5 years in prison and three years of post-release supervision on Wednesday, Aug. 28, said Damian Williams, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.  “The defendant devised a chilling plan to have a member of her own family murdered for the low price of ten thousand dollars," said Williams. "Her plan was unthinkably heartless. For th…

SHARE

by Kathy Reakes
Politics
Dealers Behind Fatal ODs Would Be Charged With Manslaughter Under NY Bill: 'This Is A Crisis' Dealers Behind Fatal ODs Would Be Charged With Manslaughter Under NY Bill: 'This Is A Crisis'
Dealers Behind Fatal ODs Would Be Charged With Manslaughter Under NY Bill: 'This Is A Crisis' Drug dealers in New York could soon face manslaughter charges for selling narcotics that result in fatal overdoses. State lawmakers are considering a bill that would make selling, delivering, or otherwise administering a controlled substance eligible for manslaughter charges if someone later dies from an overdose. Under current law, a person who provides an illicit drug that results in death can typically only be charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, a non-violent felony. Related Report: 'Gone Forever': Yonkers Mom Recounts Teen's Overdose On 'Red Table Talk' The bi…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Special Delivery: Man Ships Meth To Capital Region, Sells Fentanyl, Feds Say Special Delivery: Man Ships Meth To Capital Region, Sells Fentanyl, Feds Say
Special Delivery: Man Ships Meth To Capital Region, Sells Fentanyl, Feds Say A 46-year-old man is facing federal charges after allegedly shipping methamphetamine to the region from out of state and selling fentanyl. Michael Laudicina, of Santa Cruz, California, was arraigned on drug charges in Albany federal court on Thursday, Jan. 4. Prosecutors said Laudicina shipped at least 50 grams of meth to Albany, Ulster, and Warren counties on three occasions between July and November 2022. He also sold fentanyl – a powerful, synthetic opioid that’s nearly 100 times stronger than morphine – in August 2022, prosecutors said. In court Thursday, Laudicina was arraigned on ch…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn
News
New Update: 2 Deputies Shot, Suspect Killed During Shootout At Capital Region Home New Update: 2 Deputies Shot, Suspect Killed During Shootout At Capital Region Home
New Update: 2 Deputies Shot, Suspect Killed During Shootout At Capital Region Home This story has been updated. The suspect accused of opening fire on two sheriff's deputies at a home in the region has died. The incident happened at around 5:45 a.m. Tuesday, May 23 in Saratoga County, at the Fox Run apartment complex in Clifton Park, located on Foxwood Drive. According to the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were assisting the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in executing a federal search warrant at one of the units. Deputies had announced themselves and entered the home when a 23-year-old man inside opened fire on them, Sheriff Michael Zurlo said at…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn
News
'Rainbow Fentanyl' Made To Look Like Candy Being Sold To Children, DEA Warns 'Rainbow Fentanyl' Made To Look Like Candy Being Sold To Children, DEA Warns
'Rainbow Fentanyl' Made To Look Like Candy Being Sold To Children, DEA Warns Brightly-colored fentanyl made to look like candy is being sold to children and young people, the Drug Enforcement Administration warns.  The DEA and law enforcement partners seized some of the brightly-colored fentanyl in 18 states in the month of August 2022.  “Rainbow fentanyl—fentanyl pills and powder that come in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes—is a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.   “The men and women of the DEA are relentlessly working to stop the trafficking of rainbow fentan…

SHARE

by Jillian Pikora
News
Selling Meth, Stealing IDs Nets Capital District Man Years In Prison Selling Meth, Stealing IDs Nets Capital District Man Years In Prison
Selling Meth, Stealing IDs Nets Capital District Man Years In Prison A Capital District man has learned his fate after admitting that he sold large quantities of methamphetamine and stole other people’s identity. Albany resident Matthan Carroll, age 36, was sentenced to 94 months - or nearly eight years - in prison Thursday, July 7, in federal court in Albany. It followed his guilty plea to multiple charges, including distribution of methamphetamine, making fake government identification documents, and aggravated identity theft. Carroll admitted to selling 277 grams of meth and sending a portion of the drug through the US mail system, according to the US At…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn
News
'Gone Forever': Westchester Mom Recounts Teen's Overdose On Streaming Show 'Gone Forever': Westchester Mom Recounts Teen's Overdose On Streaming Show
'Gone Forever': Westchester Mom Recounts Teen's Overdose On Streaming Show A mother from Westchester County is opening up about losing her teenage daughter to an accidental fentanyl overdose. Despina Prodromidis, of Yonkers, recently sat down with actress Jada Pinkett Smith on her streaming show, Red Table Talk, for an episode centered around the national fentanyl epidemic. (View a clip of the segment below) Through tears, Prodromidis recounted the unimaginable moment on Easter 2021 when doctors informed her that her 15-year-old daughter, Olivia Green, had died after taking a counterfeit Percocet. "I was like, 'Is Olivia okay?' and they just put their heads dow…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn
News
Former NY Doctor Sentenced For Conspiring To Illegally Distribute Oxycodone Former NY Doctor Sentenced For Conspiring To Illegally Distribute Oxycodone
Former NY Doctor Sentenced For Conspiring To Illegally Distribute Oxycodone A former New York doctor was sentenced for illegally prescribing thousands of oxycodone pills to two people. Long Island resident Tameshwar Ammar, age 53, of Amityville, was sentenced on Thursday, Oct. 7, to five years in prison for conspiring to illegally distribute oxycodone, according to Jacquelyn Kasulis, acting United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York. He also agreed to forfeit $245,700 in criminal proceeds. Kasulis said Ammar pleaded guilty to the charge in July of 2020. He relinquished his license to practice medicine in June of that year. He had been practic…

SHARE

by Nicole Valinote
Business
Stamford-Based Purdue Pharma Admits To Crimes, Facing Billions In Fines For Opioid Crisis Role Stamford-Based Purdue Pharma Admits To Crimes, Facing Billions In Fines For Opioid Crisis Role
Stamford-Based Purdue Pharma Admits To Crimes, Facing Billions In Fines For Opioid Crisis Role Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, has agreed to pay billions of dollars in fines and will plead guilty to federal criminal charges for its role in the nation’s opioid crisis. The Fairfield County-based Connecticut company agreed to plead guilty in federal court in New Jersey to a three-count indictment that includes one count of dual-object conspiracy to defraud the United States and to violate the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and two counts of conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute. As part of the agreement, Purdue Pharma, whose headquarters is in Stamford, will…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
New York DEA Investigator Tried To Entice 14-Year-Old Boy To Have Sex, Feds Say New York DEA Investigator Tried To Entice 14-Year-Old Boy To Have Sex, Feds Say
New York DEA Investigator Tried To Entice 14-Year-Old Boy To Have Sex, Feds Say A former Drug Enforcement Administration investigator is facing charges for allegedly attempting to use child pornography to entice a minor to have sex with him. Frederick Scheinin, 29, of Sunnyside, Queens, was arrested and charged with one count of attempted production of child pornography, and one count of attempted enticement of a minor after attempting to lure his alleged victim with child porn. It is alleged that between October last year and January, Scheinin attempted to produce child pornography and entice a minor to have sex.  Scheinin was arrested on Thursday, Jan. 16 a…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
Don't Fall For It: Police Warn Of Extortion Scam Don't Fall For It: Police Warn Of Extortion Scam
Don't Fall For It: Police Warn Of Extortion Scam A new scam is making the rounds, prompting police agencies in the area to issue an alert from scammers attempting to extort doctors. Using spoofed phone numbers that make the call appear to come from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s medical offices, scammers have been targeting medical offices and officials, police said. Police said that some of the callers have spoken broken English and have been threatening to revoke doctors’ licenses and block their ability to prescribe drugs if they don’t comply with extortion requests. The DEA has confirmed that the calls are scams and doctors sho…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Woman, Man Face Drug Dealing Charges After Months-Long Investigation In Orange County Woman, Man Face Drug Dealing Charges After Months-Long Investigation In Orange County
Woman, Man Face Drug Dealing Charges After Months-Long Investigation In Orange County A woman and man were arrested following a months-long investigation into drug sales in Orange County. City of Newburgh resident Katelyn Valenzuela, 21, and Bradley Augustin, 28, of New Windsor were arrested around 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 17, following the execution of search warrants obtained following the multi-agency investigation, said City of Newburgh Police Sgt. Christopher Lahar. During the searches, at 196 South William St., in the City of Newburgh and 74 Cedar Lane in the Town of New Windsor, agents and officers seized 19.7 grams of crack cocaine, approximately 18.5 …

SHARE

by Kathy Reakes