Jesse Carey, Cocaine and Heroin Trafficking, Pennsylvania 2020

WILKES-BARRE - In a shocking turn of events, Jesse Carey, a 33-year-old resident of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, has been brought to justice for his involvement in a string of illicit activities.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Carey entered guilty pleas on January 6, 2020, before U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin stemming from separate incidents in Monroe and Luzerne Counties.

The first incident occurred on August 5, 2017, at the Mount Airy Casino in Monroe County, where Carey was found in possession of approximately forty-seven grams of cocaine and twenty-nine individual packets of heroin for further distribution, a scale, and $9,777 in U.S. currency. This was just the tip of the iceberg, as Carey was also involved in a separate incident on January 12, 2017, in Plymouth Borough, Luzerne County, where he was arrested and found in possession of fourteen grams of cocaine and approximately eighty individual doses of heroin for further distribution, $2,086 in U.S. currency, scales and drug packaging materials.

Carey's guilty pleas marked the end of a long and arduous investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Safe Streets Task Force, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, and the Plymouth Borough Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O'Hara prosecuted the cases.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The program was reinvigorated by the U.S. Attorney's Office in 2017 as part of a renewed focus on targeting violent criminals.

This case was also brought as part of a district-wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the U.S. 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.

Carey's sentencing has not been finalized, but it is expected to be a significant blow to his future prospects. With two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin, he faces a substantial prison sentence.

As the people of Luzerne County breathe a sigh of relief, they are reminded that the war on drugs is far from over. The U.S. Attorney's Office will continue to work tirelessly to bring perpetrators to justice and make our communities safer for everyone.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/pr/luzerne-county-man-pleads-guilty-drug-trafficking