Related Content
Press Release
Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Manel Smith, age 40, of New Jersey, was sentenced on September 13, 2017, by United States District Court Chief Judge Christopher C. Conner to 120 months’ imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute heroin.
According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, in the summer of 2016, Smith was driving from New Jersey through Pennsylvania when a Pennsylvania State Police trooper pulled over his vehicle for speeding. During the traffic stop, troopers discovered over 15,000 bags of heroin packaged for distribution in the trunk of Smith’s vehicle. The heroin weighed over 300 grams and had an estimated street value of $75,000. Smith was subject to enhanced penalties due to prior drug trafficking convictions.
This matter was investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Chelsea Schinnour 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.
# # #