California Man Sentenced To 188 Months In Prison For Large-Scale Methampetamine, Cocaine And Heroin Trafficking In Monroe County

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a California man was sentenced on April 25, 2017, by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion to serve 188 months (15 years and 8 months) in prison for large-scale methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin trafficking in Monroe County.

According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Fontaine Horton, age 37, formerly of San Bernardino, California, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute in excess of nine kilograms of methamphetamine, as well as additional amounts of cocaine and heroin, after a four-day jury trial before Judge Mannon in May 2016. Horton was also convicted of two counts of distributing methamphetamine. Another individual, Reginald Braddy, age 33, formerly of San Bernardino, California, was also convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin.

Horton and Braddy were charged with obtaining high-quality methamphetamine from sources in California, along with heroin and cocaine, which they then distributed for profit in the Monroe County area between 2012 and 2014. Previously, Judge Mannion sentenced Reginald Braddy to serve 235 months (19 years and 7 months) for his role in this drug-trafficking conspiracy.

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department. Officers from the Orange County, California Sheriff’s Office, the Scranton Police Department, and Plainfield Township, Pennsylvania, Police Department assisted in the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert J. O’Hara and Francis P. Sempa.

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.

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