Monroe County Man Sentenced For Drug Trafficking

Monday, August 11, 2025, 7:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

SCRANTON, PA.- A 36-year-old Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, man and local Monroe County drug dealer will be spending over a decade in federal prison after being sentenced last Tuesday for distributing controlled substances within the Monroe County, Pennsylvania, area.

     According to Acting U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus, on Tuesdayday, August 5, 2025, Pernell Riddick, 36, of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Julia K. Munley to 180 months in federal prison, to be followed by a term of supervised release, after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances, Cocaine, Fentanyl, and Methamphetamine.

According To Acting U.S. Attorney Gurganus

     According to charging documents filed with the District Court, on or about September 2, 2022, during an ongoing investigation, law enforcement Investigators arranged and conducted a controlled buy of methamphetamine from Riddick in the Monroe County area.

     Following the controlled buy, Investigators conducted a traffic stop on Riddick’s vehicle. During a court-authorized search of Riddick’s vehicle, Investigators located and seized a quantity of a substance containing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, a Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun, a Taurus 9mm handgun, U.S. currency, and various items of drug paraphernalia.

     In July 2023, a Federal Grand Jury for the Middle District of Pennsylvania returned a two-count indictment charging Riddick with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a substance containing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Riddick pleaded guilty to the charge in February 2025.

     Acting U.S. Attorney Gurganus commended the investigative work of the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration, which led to the successful prosecution of Riddick.