A Johnstown, Pennsylvania resident has been sentenced to 50 months in federal prison for his role in a narcotics trafficking conspiracy. Joshua Edmonds, 31, was convicted of conspiring to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine. The sentence also includes four years of supervised release following imprisonment.
United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan handed down the sentence. According to court information, from February 2021 to April 2021, Edmonds conspired with others in the Western District of Pennsylvania to distribute over 40 grams of fentanyl, more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, and an unspecified amount of heroin. Federal wiretaps intercepted Edmonds acquiring drugs which he then distributed within a drug organization based in Johnstown.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti praised several agencies for their investigative work leading to Edmonds' prosecution. These included the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations.
Additional support came from multiple agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation; United States Postal Inspection Service; Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General; Pennsylvania State Police; Cambria County District Attorney’s Office; Indiana County District Attorney’s Office; Cambria County Sheriff’s Office; Cambria Township Police Department; Indiana Borough Police Department; Johnstown Police Department; Upper Yoder Township Police Department; Richland Police Department; Ferndale Police Department among other local law enforcement bodies.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation aimed at dismantling high-level drug traffickers and criminal organizations threatening U.S. security through a coordinated multi-agency approach.