Monroe County Man Pleads Guilty To Heroin Trafficking

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Myles Davis, age 29, of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on April 2, 2018, before U.S. District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo to the charge of conspiracy to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Davis admitted to participating in a conspiracy to distribute between 100 and 400 grams of heroin (which is equivalent to 4,000 to 16,000 individual doses of heroin) in the Monroe County area between May and July 2015.  Davis was one of eleven individuals indicted by a grand jury in July 2015 and charged with conspiring to distribute heroin and cocaine in the Monroe County area.

Judge Caputo ordered a presentence report to be completed.  Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.         

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as 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.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.  In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001. 

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.         

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The maximum penalty under federal law is up to 40 years in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. The charge also carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

# # #