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 Bethzaida Batista, age 52, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 28 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani for conspiring to distribute controlled substances including fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Batista previously pled guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl from between January of 2020 until June of 2023, within Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.  Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski prosecuted 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.

This case is also 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.

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