The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that an Edison, New Jersey man agreed to plead guilty to a Criminal Information which charges him with the illegal sales of 3,4-methylendioxyprovalerone, commonly referred to as "MDPV" or "bath salts".

     According United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, Tariq Iqbal, age 43, of Edison, New Jersey, will plead guilty to engaging in a conspiracy to distribute MDPV in Monroe County. On March 21, 2012, the defendant was arrested with 1,000 packets of MDPV and charged by a Criminal Complaint filed on the same date.

     As of October 21, 2011, MDPV or bath salts have been categorized as a Schedule I controlled substance and the sale of the MDPV is a felony violation of federal law. This arrest stemmed from a multi-jurisdictional investigation of the distribution of MDPV in and around northeastern Pennsylvania.

     The defendant faces a maximum of twenty years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $1,000,000.

     This case is being investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration Office of Diversion Control, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Plains Police Department, and the Wyoming County Drug Task Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Phillips.

****
An Indictment or Information is not evidence of guilt but simply a description of the charge made by the Grand Jury and/or United States Attorney against a defendant. A charged Defendant is presumed innocent until a jury returns a unanimous finding that the United States has proven the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt or until the defendant has pled guilty to the charges.

Return to Top