Hector Alvarez, a 37-year-old resident of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. The sentence was handed down by Senior United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion.
Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus stated that the case stemmed from an incident on February 3, 2022. Law enforcement officers conducted surveillance at a residence in Hazle Township and observed Alvarez leaving the location with a grocery bag. Officers followed him as he drove away and saw him throw the bag into a garbage can from his car window. Upon retrieving the bag, police found empty vacuum-sealed bags commonly used for packaging large quantities of methamphetamine.
When officers attempted to stop Alvarez’s vehicle using emergency alerts, he did not comply and instead drove to his residence on McKinley Street in Hazleton. After fleeing from his vehicle on foot, Alvarez was apprehended following a short pursuit. Police recovered a box discarded by Alvarez during his flight containing 600 glassine packets of fentanyl.
Further investigation led officers to seize additional glassine packets of fentanyl stamped with matching symbols from inside Alvarez’s vehicle. A search of the Hazle Township residence resulted in the seizure of 26 kilograms of pure methamphetamine, 90 grams of fentanyl, and 37 grams of crack cocaine.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Luzerne County Drug Task Force, and Hazleton City Police Department. Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus prosecuted the case.
“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,” said officials in their statement. “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.”
Officials also noted that this prosecution is part of a district-wide initiative aimed at addressing heroin use and distribution throughout Pennsylvania’s Middle District: “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 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.”
