James Rodriguez, Jr., also known as “Mack Mulla,” was sentenced to 242 months in federal prison for drug trafficking offenses. The sentencing took place on November 21, 2025, before United States District Judge Robert D. Mariani in Scranton.
Rodriguez, age 33 and a resident of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was convicted by a jury on June 24, 2025. He faced nine counts related to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute significant quantities of fentanyl and marijuana between January 2021 and January 2022. According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Rodriguez operated a clothing store called Mulla Fashion on Scott Street in Wilkes-Barre that included a recording studio. Authorities said he used the business as a front for selling fentanyl and marijuana both to users and other street-level dealers.
In January 2021, Rodriguez traveled to Mexico where he met with members of the MS-13 gang who supplied him with kilograms of fentanyl intended for distribution in the area. Law enforcement determined that Rodriguez maintained a stash house in Wilkes-Barre Township for storing drugs.
On January 20, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at this stash house. They seized 159 grams of fentanyl, 400 grams of marijuana, two handguns, and a shotgun from the location. Additional searches at Mulla Fashion resulted in the seizure of another 800 grams of marijuana, 37 grams of fentanyl, a ballistics vest, and a handgun.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Kingston Police Department, and Luzerne County Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jenny P. Roberts and Kyle Moreno prosecuted the case.
