George Steve Rugel, Narcotics and Firearms Offenses, Pennsylvania 2021

A Berks County man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for his role in a large-scale narcotics and firearms operation. George Steve Rugel, 46, of Reading, PA, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Joseph F. Leeson, Jr., for possessing with intent to distribute the dangerous narcotic fentanyl.

According to court documents, Rugel was found in possession of approximately one kilogram of fentanyl in his car, and a loaded firearm on his person, when he was arrested by DEA Special Agents and Task Force Officers in June 2020. The investigation also led to the discovery of Rugel’s apartment in Reading, where he stored additional controlled substances, including another kilogram of fentanyl, and firearms.

Rugel pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession of a loaded firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in November 2021. The charges stem from an investigation conducted by Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agents and Task Force Officers based in New York City and Allentown into Rugel’s distribution of the dangerous narcotics fentanyl, heroin, and other controlled substances in New York City and in the Reading area of Berks County.

At the time of his arrest, Rugel was found in possession of approximately one kilogram of fentanyl, and he delivered fentanyl to individuals in New York City. The investigation also revealed that Rugel used his apartment in Reading as a stash house for his drug distribution activities.

U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said, ‘Drug distribution and gun violence are an epidemic in cities like Reading and across the Eastern District, and the federal government is aggressively prosecuting these crimes to get dangerous criminals like this defendant off the streets.’

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration – Allentown Resident Office, Berks County District Attorney’s Office Detectives, and Reading Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mary A. Futcher and Kishan Nair.

Rugel was sentenced to 14 years in prison and five years of supervised release. His arrest and sentencing are a significant blow to the narcotics and firearms operation in the Reading area.

The defendant’s real full name is George Steve Rugel. He was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession of a loaded firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The crime occurred in Reading, PA in June 2020. Rugel was arrested in June 2020 and sentenced in 2021. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison and five years of supervised release.

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