Jamar Perminter, Cocaine Base and Heroin Possession, Pennsylvania 2019

PITTSBURGH, Pa — A 19-year-old from the Crafton Heights neighborhood is facing federal time after being indicted on drug charges tied to a May 2019 narcotics haul. Jamar Perminter was named in a one-count federal indictment unsealed this week, accused of possessing significant quantities of cocaine base and heroin with intent to distribute.

The indictment alleges that on or about May 10, 2019, Perminter possessed at least 28 grams of cocaine base—a threshold that triggers harsher federal penalties—along with an undetermined amount of heroin. The charge, brought by a Pittsburgh federal grand jury, marks the latest escalation in the Justice Department’s ongoing crackdown on street-level drug operations in urban Pennsylvania.

If convicted, Perminter faces a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison and up to 40 years behind bars. The law also allows for a fine of up to $5,000,000. Sentencing, should conviction follow, will be determined under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, weighing the severity of the offense and any prior criminal record.

Assistant United States Attorney Brian M. Czarnecki is leading the prosecution, signaling a serious push by the U.S. Attorney’s Office under Scott W. Brady to hold individuals accountable for trafficking in high-risk narcotics. Federal authorities have increasingly targeted mid-tier distributors in an effort to disrupt supply chains feeding addiction in communities like Crafton Heights.

The investigation was a joint effort between the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration. While details of the arrest and evidence collection remain under court seal, law enforcement sources confirm the case stems from targeted surveillance and field operations in the city’s North Side corridor, long identified as a hotspot for drug activity.

An indictment is not a conviction. Jamar Perminter is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The case now moves toward arraignment, where he will enter a formal plea. As the federal machine grinds forward, the case stands as a stark reminder: in Pittsburgh’s shadowed corners, a single arrest can spiral into a life-altering federal prosecution.