SCRANTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle), published as received.
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Jahkel Lamar, age 37, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on February 14, 2018, by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion to serve 12 years’ imprisonment and four years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Lamar was indicted in September 2016, and previously pleaded guilty before Judge Mannion in April 2017. On September 1, 2016, Lamar was arrested at a bus terminal on Lackawanna Avenue in Scranton, and found in possession of approximately 127 grams of crack cocaine which Lamar intended to distribute. At the time of his arrest, Lamar had just returned to Scranton by bus from New York City.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Scranton Police Department, Special Investigations Division. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
# # #
