Hazleton Man Sentenced To Three Years In Prison For Heroin Trafficking

SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Ryan Hunsinger, age 28, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania was sentenced on July 3, 2018, to serve 36 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, for trafficking in heroin in January 2016.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Hunsinger previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin. Hunsinger admitted to obtaining more than 19,000 bags of heroin from suppliers in Philadelphia and bringing the heroin to Hazleton with the intent to distribute it.

Hunsinger was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2016, as a result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, and Hazleton Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa prosecuted the case.

Judge Mariani also ordered Hunsinger to serve three years on supervised release following his prison sentence.

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. Attorney General Jeff Sessions 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.

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