Luzerne County Man Sentenced To 75 Months’ Imprisonment For Heroin Trafficking And Firearms Offenses

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Aaron Bangaroo, age 37, formerly of Kingston, Luzerne County, was sentenced on January 3, 2020, by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, to serve seventy-five months’ imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute heroin and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Bangaroo was indicted by a grand jury after police made several purchases of heroin from Bangaroo and then obtained a search warrant for Bangaroo’s residence in Kingston, where police seized approximately 20 grams of heroin, two firearms, and ammunition.  Twenty grams of heroin is equivalent to approximately 800 individual doses of heroin.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the Kingston Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  The Department of Justice 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 enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce 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.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.  Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NCIS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.  

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