Norman Copper, a 34-year-old Philadelphia resident, has been sentenced to 45 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release for drug trafficking and firearms offenses. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Mark A. Kearney after Copper was convicted earlier this year on charges that included possession with intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possession of firearms by a felon.
Copper’s charges stemmed from a superseding indictment issued in June 2024. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, law enforcement began investigating Copper in December 2023 when Upper Merion Township Police received information from Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Parole Field Services. At the time, Copper was on state parole for attempted murder and wore a GPS monitor as part of his parole conditions.
Investigators used GPS data to track Copper spending early morning hours at an unapproved location in King of Prussia, later identified as his then-girlfriend’s apartment. Surveillance showed him frequently entering and exiting the residence and visiting a nearby storage unit linked to the apartment.
In January last year, authorities executed search warrants at both locations. They seized more than one and a half pounds of methamphetamine, three semiautomatic handguns—including one with a silencer—and an AK-style semiautomatic rifle. As a convicted felon, Copper was prohibited from possessing these weapons.
“Again and again, Norman Copper has flouted the law and chosen to engage in criminal activity that endangered the community,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf. “He was deeply involved in the distribution of large quantities of meth — and heavily armed to protect his profits, product, and drug dealer persona. Our office and our partners are working every day to put dangerous offenders like him behind bars, to make the public safer.”
“This case is another example of our law enforcement cooperation to prevent violent crime,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division. “Copper, who was on parole for attempted murder, was heavily armed and loaded with drugs. Working with the Upper Merion Township Police Department, the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, and Assistant United States Attorneys, Copper will no longer threaten his neighborhood.”
The investigation involved collaboration between the Upper Merion Township Police Department, Montgomery County Detective Bureau, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and federal prosecutors Lindsey Mills and Justin Ashenfelter.
