Donnie Woods, a 45-year-old resident of Northridge, California, has been sentenced to 97 months in federal prison for his role in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy in Central Pennsylvania. United States District Judge Keli M. Neary handed down the sentence.
Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus stated that Woods admitted to conspiring with others from July 2020 through at least April 2021 to distribute large amounts of fentanyl within the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Authorities intercepted two packages sent by Woods from California to York, Pennsylvania in April 2021. These packages contained nearly four kilograms of fentanyl.
The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli prosecuted the case.
"This case is part of Operation Take Back America," according to the press release. The operation is a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice that brings together resources to address illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime perpetrators. Efforts under this operation are coordinated with the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Additionally, this prosecution falls under a broader district-wide effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office known as the Heroin Initiative. This initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in Central Pennsylvania and coordinates among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to apprehend and prosecute individuals involved in heroin-related offenses.
