Scranton Woman Sentenced To A Year In Prison For Drug Trafficking

SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Patricia Cook, age 61, of Scranton, was sentenced on June 26, 2019, by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani to one year in prison and three years on supervised release for distributing heroin and cocaine.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Cook previously pleaded guilty to distribution of heroin and distribution of cocaine. Cook distributed less than 10 grams of heroin and less than 50 grams of cocaine to another person on April 7, 2015.

The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, Pike County Detectives, and Scranton Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jenny P. Roberts and Francis P. Sempa prosecuted 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

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.