Hazleton Man Sentenced To 37 Months In Prison For Drug Trafficking And Money Laundering

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Joshua Sweet, age 32, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 37 months in prison by United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani for drug trafficking and money laundering charges. 

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Sweet previously entered a guilty plea to two felony counts charging money laundering and drug trafficking.  Between October 2016 and May 2018, Sweet manufactured, distributed, and possessed with the intent to manufacture and distribute oxycodone, methylphenidate, tramadol, fentanyl, methamphetamine, alprazolam, lysergic acid diethylamide, cocaine, marijuana, and psilocin.  Sweet also engaged in money laundering during the same period by engaging in transactions intended to promote his drug trafficking and conceal the nature, location, source, and ownership of the proceeds of the illegal sales of controlled substances. Sweet exchanged over $200,000 in bitcoin, proceeds from the sale of controlled substances, for cash through an unlicensed remitter. Investigators also seized bitcoin, gold bars, and cash from Sweet, totaling approximately $100,000 in value.

The case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Hazleton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni 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 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.

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.

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