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 Scotch Bruce Hanning, age 46, of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on November 3, 2026, to 204 months’ imprisonment by Chief United States District Judge Matthew W. Brann for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine base (crack), in both Snyder and Union Counties, and elsewhere.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, on January 3, 2023, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on Hanning in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. A search of Hanning’s person revealed 1.89 grams of fentanyl, .79 gram of buprenorphine, and 3.50 grams of crystal methamphetamine. A police canine alerted to narcotics in the vehicle and 3.98 grams of fentanyl, 4.1 grams of cocaine base (crack), and 13.9 grams of crystal methamphetamine were discovered. Law enforcement then obtained a search warrant for the property in which Hanning was living where they recovered .32 gram of cocaine base and .14 gram of fentanyl.
The FBI Philadelphia’s Scranton Resident Agency, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Lycoming County Narcotics Enforcement Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luisa Honora Berti prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
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