Seven individuals from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, have been taken into custody and charged with distributing bath salts, a synthetic drug that has a similar chemical structure and effect on the central nervous system as controlled substances.
The defendants, who were part of a trafficking and distribution ring led by Todd Morgans, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Scranton in August 2014. Morgans was arrested in July 2013, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison in September 2014.
The seven defendants, whose names were released by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, are:
- David Folweiler, 27, of West Pittston
- Alan Folweiler, 21, of West Pittston
- John Pearce, 29, of West Pittston
- Frank Xavier Brennan, 33, of Kingston
- Maura Kathio, 25, of Yatesville
- Tiffany Pradel, 30, of Pittston Township
- Marguerita Ann Davis, 59, of Pittston
The defendants were taken into custody on November 12 and 14, 2014, and appeared before Magistrate Judge Thomas M. Blewitt. David Folweiler was ordered detained pending trial, while the others were released on bail with conditions.
The maximum sentence for the offense is 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of $1,000,000, and supervised release for at least 3 years. The case was the result of a joint investigation between the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Pennsylvania State Police, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the West Pittston, Jenkins Township, and Pittston City Police Departments.
Bath salts, also known as synthetic drugs, are analogues of controlled substances prohibited under federal statutes. They have a similar chemical structure and a similar stimulant or hallucinogenic effect on a person’s central nervous system.
Prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Francis P. Sempa.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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