Former Luzerne County Police Officer Sentenced To 96 Months In Prison For Conspiring To Distribute Drugs

SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kevin Davis, age 28, of Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania, was sentenced on March 7, 2024, to 96 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, marijuana, fentanyl, and methamphetamine.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, between May 2021 and April 2022, Davis rented an apartment to a drug trafficking operation in Wilkes-Barre knowing the apartment was solely being used to store illegal drugs and drug proceeds.  Davis installed security cameras inside the apartment and acted as security for the drug trafficking organization. He instructed members of the organization what to do and say if they were stopped by the police and warned them about potential law enforcement surveillance.  On one occasion he used a law enforcement data base to determine whether a member of the organization had been stopped by law enforcement.  During the time of the conspiracy, Davis was employed as a patrolman for a Luzerne County Municipal Police Department.  Judge Mannion determined at sentencing that Davis abused is position of trust as a law enforcement officer when committing these acts.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotic Investigations, and the Luzerne County Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Hardik prosecuted the case.

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.

This case is also 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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