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 Terrell Watson, age 33, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury for drug trafficking offenses.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment charges Watson with conspiring to distribute and posses with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine as well as a quantity of fentanyl. Watson is also charged with two counts of distributing over 50 grams of methamphetamine and one count of distributing fentanyl within Luzerne County, all between July of 2021 and April of 2022.
The matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Luzerne County Drug Task Force, the Kingston Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Wilkes-Barre Police Department, and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney James M. Buchanan is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was also 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.
The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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