Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison a for Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl and Heroin

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Philadelphia, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to a total of 60 months in prison followed by 4 years supervised release on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.

Senior United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence Christofer Waters 27, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

According to information presented to the court, from on or about July 5, 2018, to on or about May 5, 2020, Waters did conspire to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, and a quantity of heroin. According to information presented to the court, Waters was a co-leader of a drug trafficking organization that operated between Philadelphia and Indiana County, Pennsylvania. Waters admitted responsibility for distributing a total of 142 grams of fentanyl and 23 grams of heroin on 23 occasions between July 2018 and May 2019

Assistant United States Attorney Arnold P. Bernard, Jr. prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

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

OCDETF conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case. The task force is headed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and is comprised of members drawn from the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Indiana Borough Police Department.