Hazleton Man Sentenced To 20 Years’ Imprisonment For Drug Trafficking

SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kevin Charles Brown, age 39, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on September 19, 2019, to 240 months’ imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release, by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, for distribution and possession with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin, more than 280 grams of cocaine base (crack), and fentanyl (one kilogram is equivalent to approximately 40,000-50,000 individual doses).  

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Brown previously pleaded guilty to participating in the conspiracy during 2015 and 2016.  Brown rented a residence on East Birch Street in Hazleton where he and multiple other individuals distributed heroin, crack cocaine and fentanyl to customers on a daily basis.  Brown also admitted that he possessed a firearm in connection with his drug distribution activities.  

The case was investigated by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Jenny P. Roberts 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.