Rodney Smith, Heroin and Cocaine Trafficking, Pennsylvania 2021

Crime Spree Lands Johnstown Man in Prison

A 68-year-old resident of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, has pleaded guilty to federal narcotics charges, according to a recent announcement by United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan.

Rodney Smith, a Johnstown native, admitted to conspiring with others to distribute and possess heroin, cocaine, and cocaine base, commonly known as crack, in the Western District of Pennsylvania from January 2021 to June 2021.

Smith was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that he distributed to others, according to the court.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations, with additional assistance from local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.

As part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation, Smith’s prosecution aims to disrupt and dismantle the highest-level drug traffickers and transnational criminal organizations threatening the United States.

Judge Kim R. Gibson scheduled sentencing for January 13, 2025, with a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both, under the federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

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