October 17, 2014

New York City Men Charged with Drug Trafficking Offenses

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced the filing of criminal charges on October 14, 2014 against Adolphus Butts, age 35, Timothy Smart, age 31, Ladu Tariq Kitching, age 28, and Cedrick Johnson, age 27, all of New York, New York. The Grand Jury in Scranton returned a nine-count Indictment filed in the United States District Court alleging that the above individuals conspired to distribute cocaine hydrochloride, cocaine base, (crack), and heroin in Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties between 2011 and 2013.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the charges are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police into the sale of illegal drugs at motels in Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties.

Prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney John Gurganus.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

In this particular case, the maximum penalty under the federal drug trafficking conspiracy statute charged in this case is twenty years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.