Luzerne County Man Sentenced To 108 Months In Prison For Fentanyl Trafficking

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on September 5, 2024, U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion sentenced Antoine Montgomery, age 34, of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, to a term of 108 months' imprisonment for trafficking of fentanyl.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Montgomery pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking on February 23, 2022. Montgomery was arrested during the DEA's Operation Overdrive which targeted drug trafficking, firearms and violent crimes in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, and surrounding areas. Agents conducted surveillance in the area of Beaumont Street, Wilkes Barre when they observed Montgomery and his co-defendant Jamal Jenkins conduct numerous illegal drug transactions. As a result of further investigation, a federal search warrant was served on a residence and parked vehicle controlled by Montgomery and Jenkins on January 4, 2023. Agents seized 300 grams of fentanyl and fluorofentanyl, together with crack cocaine and cocaine.

Judge Mannion previously sentenced Jenkins to 36 months' imprisonment, and in this case also ordered Montgomery to serve a term of 4 years of supervised release following release from custody.

This case was jointly investigated by the DEA and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Todd K. Hinkley prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin and other opioids. Led by the United States Attorney's Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin and opioid 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.

This 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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