A resident of Altoona, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for methamphetamine trafficking. The sentence will be followed by two years of supervised release. This was announced by Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti.
United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines handed down the sentence to Andrew Stowell, aged 67. The conviction stems from a six-month Title III wiretap investigation into drug trafficking activities in Blair, Cambria, Centre, and Clearfield counties.
Court documents revealed that Stowell was involved with an Altoona-based drug trafficking organization. On December 12, 2022, he sold a quarter-pound of methamphetamine to an undercover police officer on behalf of the organization's leader.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan D. Lusty on behalf of the government. Acting United States Attorney Rivetti acknowledged the efforts of multiple agencies in the investigation and prosecution process. These include the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Service–Office of Inspector General, United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and Pennsylvania State Police.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation aimed at dismantling high-level drug traffickers and criminal organizations through a coordinated multi-agency approach.
