The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has announced the sentencing of Jose Ricardo Pena, a 58-year-old native and citizen of the Dominican Republic. Pena received a 63-month prison sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for fentanyl distribution and illegal reentry into the United States after previous deportations.
Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus reported that Pena was initially arrested in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2011 and deported to the Dominican Republic later that year. He illegally re-entered the United States and was arrested again in Dauphin County on October 16, 2015, on drug trafficking charges. He was convicted in Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas for conspiracy and possession with intent to deliver heroin, receiving concurrent sentences of 7-14 months imprisonment. Following this conviction, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained him, leading to charges of illegal reentry in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Convicted on February 8, 2017, he was sentenced to time served and deported once more on May 7, 2017.
Pena returned illegally to the U.S., distributing fentanyl on four occasions outside an apartment complex in Harrisburg during 2023. These transactions included sales totaling over four thousand individual doses: selling amounts of fentanyl ranging from 22 grams to 53 grams between August and October.
Special Agent in Charge Edward V. Owens of HSI Philadelphia stated: "Fentanyl is a deadly poison that devastates communities and shatters families. The arrest and sentencing of Jose Ricardo Pena, a criminal illegal alien who was previously removed, are a testament to our unwavering commitment to combating the devastation that it causes." Owens commended both HSI's investigative efforts and those of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for halting these distribution networks.
This case involved Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) alongside Pennsylvania State Police with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorney Scott Ford.
The proceedings are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement agencies at all levels with community involvement.
