Three Individuals Charged With Fentanyl And Heroin Trafficking

SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Tony Oliver, age 32, of Paterson, New Jersey; Rosa Duran, age 40, of Davenport, Florida; and Dewayne Hutton, age 23, of East Orange, New Jersey, were indicted by a federal grand jury on drug trafficking charges.  The indictment was returned on October 10, 2023, but remained under seal until all defendants were arrested.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to distribute fentanyl and heroin between April 2021 and September 2023, in Monroe County, Pennsylvania and elsewhere.  Tony Oliver specifically was charged with conspiring to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl, which is the equivalent of approximately 16,000 potentially lethal individual doses of fentanyl.  The indictment also alleges that the defendants distributed and possessed with intent to distribute fentanyl on three dates in May, July, and September 2023.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Customs and Border Patrol, and the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phillip J. Caraballo and Luisa H. Berti are prosecuting 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.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

This case is also 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The penalties under federal law for the most serious offense charged against Tony Oliver are a minimum 10 years and maximum life of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. The maximum penalties under federal law for the most serious offenses charged against Rosa Duran and Dewayne Hutton are up to 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. 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.

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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