Local Police Agencies Assist in Prosecution of Man Accused of Distributing Over 400 Grams of Fentanyl in Western Pa.

| November 1, 2022

ERIE, Pa. — Local police agencies assisted in the prosecution of a man accused of distributing over 400 grams of Fentanyl in Western Pa.

A former resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced on Monday.

Vincent Andrew Feliciano, 32, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Feliciano and others engaged in a conspiracy to distribute multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine, approximately 1.7 kilograms of blue fentanyl pills (an estimated 15,000 pills), and methamphetamine within the Western District of Pennsylvania from in and around February 2022 and continuing thereafter to in or around May 2022.

During this time, Vincent Feliciano traveled from Pennsylvania to Arizona to facilitate his criminal enterprise involving the distribution of illegal narcotics in Pennsylvania including four hundred grams or more of fentanyl.

Judge Baxter scheduled sentencing for February 1, 2023 at 2:30 p.m.

The law provides for a total sentence of life in prison, a fine of $10,250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Paul S. Sellers is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Erie Area Gang Law Enforcement (EAGLE), Safe Streets Task Force, which is comprised of investigators from the FBI, the Erie Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Oil City Police Department, the Titusville Police Department, the Franklin Police Department, and the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case in coordination with the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service, the Erie County Detectives, and the Millcreek Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Feliciano.

The investigation was also conducted in association with the Northwest Pennsylvania Drug Initiative which was formed following Erie County’s designation as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) in 2021. The HIDTA program was created by Congress in 1988 to coordinate and assist Federal, State, and Local law enforcement agencies in addressing regional drug threats with the purpose of reducing drug trafficking and drug production in the United States.


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Category: Local News, News, Police & Fire Calls, Regional News

Jacob Deemer is a reporter for EYT Media Group, who is based out of Venango County. He started his career as a sports writer for a local newspaper before contributing to TheHockeyWriters.com as a beat writer for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has spent over 6 years covering sports, crime, and local news in Venango, Clarion, and Jefferson Counties.
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