DEA and Partners Collect 309 Tons of Pills on Ninth Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

Take-back initiative removes from circulation 2,411 tons of unused prescription drugs in four years

New disposal rules now in effect provide for convenient, ongoing disposal opportunities for patients’ unwanted pharmaceuticals; law enforcement agencies may continue to hold take-back events

NOV 05 (WASHINGTON) —On its ninth National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on September 27, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and 4,076 of its national, tribal, and community law enforcement partners collected 617,150 pounds (309 tons) of unwanted prescription drugs at 5,495 sites.  This brought the total amount of drugs collected in four years to 4,823,251 pounds, or 2,411 tons.  (A breakdown of this ninth Take-Back Day’s results by state can be seen here.)

Unused prescription medications in homes create a public health and safety concern, because they can be accidentally ingested, stolen, misused, and abused.  While the number of Americans who currently abuse prescription drugs dropped in 2013 to 6.5 million from 6.8 million in 2012, that is still more than double the number of those using heroin, cocaine, and hallucinogens like LSD and Ecstasy combined, according to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.  In addition, 22,134 Americans died in 2011 from overdoses of prescription medications, including 16,651 from narcotic painkillers, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The survey of users cited above also found that the majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

DEA began hosting National Prescription Drug Take-Back events four years ago, because at that time the Controlled Substances Act made no legal provision for patients and their caregivers to rid themselves of unwanted controlled substance prescription drugs except to give them to law enforcement; it banned pharmacies and hospitals from accepting them.  Most people flushed their unused prescription drugs down the toilet, threw them in the trash, or kept them in the household medicine cabinet, resulting in contamination of the water supply and the theft and abuse of the prescription drugs.

The week after DEA’s first Take-Back Day, Congress enacted the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010.  The Act authorized DEA to develop and implement regulations that outline methods the public and long-term care facilities can use to transfer pharmaceutical controlled substances and other prescription drugs to authorized collectors for the purpose of disposal.  While those regulations were being developed and approved, the DEA continued to hold twice-yearly Take-Back events. 

DEA’s new disposal regulations were published in the Federal Register on September 9 and are intended to expand the options available to safely and securely dispose of potentially dangerous prescription medications on a routine basis.  They can be viewed at www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov or at www.regulations.gov. 

The new regulations authorize certain DEA registrants (manufacturers, distributors, reverse distributors, narcotic treatment programs, retail pharmacies, and hospitals/clinics with an on-site pharmacy) to modify their registration with the DEA to become authorized collectors.  All authorized collectors may operate a collection receptacle at their registered location, and collectors with an on-site means of destruction may operate a mail-back program.  Anyone (not just authorized collectors) can hand out the pre-printed, pre-addressed mail-back packages in which patients and their caregivers can send their unused drugs to the mail-back program operators.  Retail pharmacies and hospitals/clinics with an on-site pharmacy may operate collection receptacles at long-term care facilities. 

The public may find authorized collectors in their communities by calling the DEA Office of Diversion Control’s Registration Call Center at 1-800-882-9539.

Law enforcement continues to have autonomy with respect to how they collect controlled substance prescription drugs from patients or their caregivers, including holding Take-Back events.  Any person or entity—DEA registrant or non-registrant—may partner with law enforcement to conduct Take-Back events.  Patients also may continue to utilize the guidelines for the disposal of pharmaceutical controlled substances listed by the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.  Any method of patient disposal that was valid prior to these new regulations being implemented continues to be valid. 

Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Deadly Firebombing of Federal Witness's Family

A Philadelphia man was sentenced today in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to serve 40 years in prison for his role in the retaliatory firebombing that killed six members of a federal witness’s family, including four children.  

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Hanko of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division made the announcement.  

Lamont Lewis, 38, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty in 2011 for his role in the firebombing of Eugene Coleman’s family home in retaliation for Coleman’s cooperation with law enforcement.  Lewis also pleaded guilty to an additional five murders murder-for-hire, and drug trafficking charges, and agreed to testify against Kaboni Savage and his cousin, Robert Merritt, who assisted Lewis in carrying out the firebombing.  U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania imposed the sentence after considering Lewis’s cooperation in the prosecution of Savage and others.

According to Lewis’s testimony at trial, at Savage’s direction, Lewis and Merritt firebombed the Coleman family home in retaliation for Coleman’s testimony against Savage.  Lewis admitted that he spoke to Savage in the evening hours of Oct. 8, 2004, at which time Savage asked for a favor and told Lewis that his sister, Kidada Savage, would explain the plan after the phone call.  Shortly thereafter, Kidada Savage advised Lewis of the plan to firebomb the Coleman residence, and drove Lewis to the location to identify the house.  In the early morning hours of Oct. 9, 2004, Lewis contacted Merritt and explained the plan to him.  Lewis and Merritt filled up two gas cans while en route to the Coleman residence.  Then, while Lewis gained entry and fired warning shots into the residence, Merritt threw a gas can with a lit cloth fuse, and then a second gas can, into the occupied Philadelphia row house.  Six people, including four children ranging in age from 15 months to 15 years, were killed in the fire.

Co-defendants Kaboni Savage,Kidada Savage, and Merritt were also convicted for their roles in the firebombing at the May 2013 trial.  Kaboni Savage, who was also convicted of other crimes, was sentenced to death for 12 counts of murder in aid of racketeering.  Kidada Savage and Robert Merritt were sentenced to life in prison. 

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and the Maple Shade, New Jersey Police Department.  The United States Bureau of Prisons, the United States Marshals Service, and the Philadelphia / Camden High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force also assisted in the investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Steve Mellin of the Criminal Division’s Capital Case Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys David E. Troyer and John M. Gallagher of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.          

North Carolina Man Sentenced for Killing U.S. Marshals Task Force Officer

Lamont Deshawn Byrd was sentenced today in federal court in Raleigh, North Carolina, to serve life in prison for committing first degree murder of an Officer of the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Thomas G. Walker for the Eastern District of North Carolina.  Byrd, 22, pleaded guilty on Aug. 4, 2014, to killing Warren Basco “Sneak” Lewis III with premeditation and malice on June 9, 2011.  Lewis was an investigator with the Nash County Sheriff’s Office who was also a sworn special deputy United States marshal assigned to the Eastern North Carolina Regional Fugitive Task Force.

The investigation began on June 2, 2011, in Kinston, North Carolina when officers responded to a shots fired call and found homicide victim Thomas Terrell Hinton fatally shot in the chest.  The investigation determined that Byrd, Kion Tyearl Dail and two additional juveniles murdered Mr. Hinton and then stole his bicycle.  Murder warrants were issued for the arrest of the aforementioned individuals and law enforcement began looking for the suspects.

On June 9, 2011, Kinston officers, along with U.S. Deputy Marshals attempted to locate the suspects utilizing warrants and executed a search warrant at 602-A West Lenoir Avenue, Kinston, North Carolina.  This address is a residence which has been converted into three separate apartments; one upstairs and two downstairs.  Although it appeared that 602-A had been inhabited, the apartment was now empty.  However, two shotguns were located.  Laboratory testing revealed that Byrd had possessed the weapons.  Earlier Byrd and several others had moved to Apt B downstairs.

Later that day, after developing additional information, law enforcement officers went back to the Lenoir Avenue apartments.  While searching for the suspects, law enforcement officers announced their presence.  As Investigator Lewis was coming down the stairs from the upstairs apartment, Byrd shot three times through the closed door, striking the deputy all three times.  After realizing he had shot an officer, Byrd was heard to utter, “See what you made me do?”  Byrd then handed the weapon to another individual to hide.  After a 20-minute stand-off, the individuals came out.  The weapon, a Berretta .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, was found in a banker’s box in a closet, with Byrd’s DNA on it.  The weapon had been stolen from a residence three weeks prior.

Investigator Lewis was transported to the hospital where he later died from his injuries.

“The death of Special Deputy Lewis is a tragedy for his family and all of us in the law enforcement community,” said U.S. Attorney Walker;

“As a key member of the Eastern North Carolina Regional Fugitive Task Force, Special Deputy U. S. Marshal Warren Lewis was a vital part of the U. S. Marshals’ family, just as he was with the Nash County Sheriff’s Office,” said Director Stacia Hylton of the U.S. Marshals Service.  “Warren Lewis will always be remembered to us and the entire law enforcement community as a hero and for making the ultimate sacrifice to protect others.  We hope that with this sentencing that Warren Lewis’ family can start to feel a small level of peace and closure after suffering their tragic loss.”

“Today’s sentencing is the result of a tragedy and loss of human life that was not necessary,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Wayne Dixie.  “Anyone that uses a firearm to commit a violent criminal act, especially the murder of a law enforcement officer, will be held accountable for their actions.  We will continue to use all of our resources to prosecute those that choose to commit this type of heinous act.”

“Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities, and they deserve our respect and gratitude,” said North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper.  “The death of Investigator Lewis was a tremendous loss to his family and our community and the end of this case helps bring justice.”

“The Lewis family and the State of North Carolina lost a true hero,” said Director Bill Johnson of the Kinston Department of Public Safety.  “I wish to thank the many individuals and agencies for their assistance in the effort to see justice done.”

According to the plea agreement, Byrd has also pleaded guilty to murder charges in state court and is awaiting sentencing.

The investigation was conducted by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Kinston Department of Public Safety.

The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jane J. Jackson and Imelda J. Pate, Assistant District Attorney for the Eighth District.