Joseph Morales, Heroin and Crack Cocaine Trafficking, Pennsylvania 2015

Tobyhanna Man’s Guilty Plea Rocks Monroe County

A Monroe County man has pleaded guilty to federal charges of heroin and crack cocaine trafficking, sending shockwaves through the community. Joseph Morales, 27, of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, admitted to participating in a conspiracy to distribute massive quantities of heroin and crack cocaine in the Monroe County area.

According to the plea agreement, Morales and his co-conspirators distributed between 700 grams and one kilogram of heroin – equivalent to 28,000 to 40,000 individual doses – as well as between 840 grams and 2.8 kilograms of crack cocaine, between May and July 2015. The investigation revealed that Morales was one of eleven individuals indicted by a grand jury in July 2015 for conspiring to distribute heroin, powder cocaine, and crack cocaine.

The case was brought as part of a district-wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic of heroin use and distribution. Led by the United States 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.

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.

Morales’ guilty plea carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison. The maximum penalty under federal law is up to life in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. The sentence will be determined by Judge A. Richard Caputo after considering the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals.

The guilty plea marks a significant victory in the ongoing effort to combat heroin trafficking in Monroe County. The community can rest assured that those responsible for perpetuating this destructive epidemic will be held accountable for their actions.

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