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 that Jose Ramon De Leon-Pineda, age 34, of West Hazelton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on February 5, 2019, to 188 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani on drug trafficking charges.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Pineda had previously pled guilty to  conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 100 grams of heroin, over 28 grams of cocaine base, or “crack,” and a quantity of  powder cocaine.  One hundred grams of heroin is the equivalent of approximately 4,000 individual doses of heroin.  Pineda was the target of a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation that has resulted in criminal charges against 16 individuals, 13 of whom have pled guilty so far.        

The government presented evidence to demonstrate that Pineda was the leader of a criminal organization involving more than five people, that Pineda had shot an unknown victim in a restaurant in Wilkes-Barre, and that he threatened at least one dealer who could not pay a debt.  Pineda also operated a stash house to store drugs and a gun in Wilkes-Barre.  Additionally, Pineda engaged in a six-on-one assault on another inmate while awaiting sentencing at Lackawanna County Prison. 

This sentence was the result of a multi-year investigation, in part driven by multiple wiretaps, conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Wilkes-Barre Police Department, and Pennsylvania State Police.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni is prosecuting 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.  The Department of Justice 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.

This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.

 

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