Stroud Township Man Sentenced To 24 Months’ Imprisonment For Heroin And Fentanyl Distribution

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Dimitris Smith, Jr., age 43, of Stroud Township, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday to 24 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani for distributing heroin and fentanyl.

According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, on July 3, 2018, Smith distributed fentanyl and heroin to a confidential informant working with law enforcement in Stroud Township, Pennsylvania.  The investigation originated with a 2017 anonymous tip to the Pennsylvania State Police concerning drug trafficking in Monroe County, Pennsylvania.

The case was investigated by the FBI, and the Pennsylvania State Police.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd K. Hinkley is prosecuting the case.

This case was part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case also 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.

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