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 on June 5, 2020, United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani sentenced Nathaniel Murphy, age 45, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to one year and one day in prison for trafficking in heroin.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Murphy pleaded guilty to taking part in a drug trafficking conspiracy with Juan Roman-Polanco and others, distributing heroin in Luzerne County in 2016 and 2017.
Roman-Polanco, the leader of the drug trafficking organization, previously pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge, admitting to responsibility for the distribution and possession with intent to distribute over one kilogram of heroin, one kilogram of cocaine, and over 65 grams of cocaine base. Polanco was sentenced to 151 months’ imprisonment. One kilogram of heroin is the equivalent of approximately 40,000 individual doses of heroin.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), 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 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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